Adriana Smith’s Family Says Goodbye, Asks For Prayers For Newborn Son
Adriana Smith’s family spent the weekend of her 31st birthday praying for her newborn son and preparing to finally say goodbye to the young woman forcibly kept on life support for several months. According to news reports, Adriana’s family confirmed doctors delivered the baby via emergency c-section on Friday, just two days before Adriana’s 31st birthday.
“Just keep praying for him, he’s here now,” Adriana’s mother said in an interview. “I feel like he has a great chance to survive.”
News of Adriana’s case broke headlines as Georgia hospital officials refused to let the 31-year-old’s family take her off life support. Despite a medical determination that she was brain dead, Adriana’s family was forced to endure this traumatic and costly experience as a result of Georgia’s near-total abortion ban. As a result, Adriana’s family has incurred substantial medical fees for a course of treatment forced upon them by the hospital and the state’s regressive laws.
Adriana’s story underscores the enduring importance of Black maternal health and racial and gender equity in healthcare. Before her hospitalization and being declared brain-dead, Adriana reportedly raised concerns about severe headaches and sought medical attention in February of this year. Less than 24 hours after being discharged without a CT scan, the registered nurse was rushed back to the hospital by her partner. Unfortunately, it was too late.
Her case also remains a clarion call for embracing reproductive justice as a lens for making medical and policy decisions. Reproductive justice encompasses a comprehensive framework for evaluating social, political, and medical policies and decisions, ultimately leading to more informed care for all.
As reported by 11 Alive in Atlanta, Adriana’s hospitalization in February occurred when she was eight weeks pregnant, two weeks past the mandated cutoff for abortion in Georgia. After the declaration of brain death in late February, hospital officials refused to remove Smith from life support, citing Georgia’s near-total abortion ban and other considerations.
Reports indicate that Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr issued a brief statement saying that the state’s near-total abortion ban did not prohibit removing a pregnant woman declared brain dead from life support. And yet, Emory Hospital planned to keep Adriana on life support until 32 weeks of gestation and deliver by c-section. Unfortunately, a C-section had to be performed several weeks earlier than planned. At six weeks old and a little under two pounds, little Chance is fighting for his life.
Hospital officials and doctors prioritizing fears of violating convoluted laws over patients’ lives was an issue raised when Georgia’s near-total abortion ban was first introduced during the 2019 legislative session. Medical professionals, advocates, and those with lived experience gave ample testimony and documentation documenting the detrimental impact of a near-total abortion ban.
At the request of her family, reproductive justice advocates gathered to celebrate Adriana’s birthday and demand justice last Sunday.
“Adriana was a mother, daughter, and a dedicated nurse. She told her doctors something was wrong. They didn’t listen,” read a post from the reproductive justice coalition Amplify Georgia. “On the day she should be celebrating another year of life, we are gathering instead to celebrate who Adriana was and to seek justice for what was taken from her. This birthday celebration is rooted in truth, love, and action. We’ll release balloons, lift up prayer, and rally to ensure that no more Black women are silenced in their most vulnerable moments.”
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Adriana Smith: Pregnant Brain-Dead Woman To Remain Alive To Give Birth