• Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice
24/7 Health News
No Result
View All Result
Home Adiana Smith

Do Abortion Bans Top Family Rights? The Adriana Smith Story

May 16, 2025
in Adiana Smith, Adriana was turned away by the hospital, Article, brain dead, Celebrities & Trends, family has no rights, fetal heartbeat bill in Georgia, forced to carry child, forced to carry child while on ilife support, Georgia abortion ban, Health
Do Abortion Bans Top Family Rights? The Adriana Smith Story
image

A Georgia hospital declared Adriana Smith legally brain dead in February. She was nine weeks pregnant. Today, her body is being kept on life support to give the fetus she was carrying an opportunity to thrive. She is not breathing on her own. She can not speak or communicate in other way. Her condition is considered irreversible. She has been hospitalized for more than 90 days.

“Brain death, also commonly referred to as death by neurologic criteria, has been considered a legal definition of death for decades” and “although functions of many of the body’s organ systems can be artificially supported, the brain is the main control system governing vital bodily functions,” according to the Journal of Intensive Care.

The medical professionals charged with Smith’s care are unable to withdraw the breathing tubes from her body due to the potential impact on the fetus she is carrying, per the Associated Press. Their inaction has been credited to what some are calling a “fetal heartbeat bill.”

Smith sought assistance for a severe headache before being declared brain dead. She was sent home without scans that would have shown multiple blood clots on her brain. Her boyfriend found her in distress. She was rushed to the hospital, but it was too late for an effective intervention. The ineffectiveness of those tasked with her care reflects the type of systemic racial discrimination many Black women face.

Smith’s Mother, April Newkirk, dubbed this situation “preventable.” It has brought sadness and stress to their family, including Smith’s five-year-old son.

Traditionally, families are tasked with complete medical decision-making on behalf of incapacitated loved ones. Choices about whether or not to remove ventilators and other partially life-preserving measures are made by families daily.

This case is unique as Smith cannot advocate for herself, and her loved ones have been disempowered by these complicated legal measures. They were not given a choice. It raises questions about the role of family wishes in a climate where legislation plays a larger role than ever in healthcare decisions. Physicians have differing opinions on the ethical considerations associated with posthumous reproduction.

Smith’s mother commented on the distress she is experiencing with her daughter’s physical being continuing to be kept partially alive despite her lack of brain function in an interview with an affiliate of NBC News.

“It’s torture for me,” said Newkirk. “I see my daughter breathing, but she’s not there.”

“It should have been left up to the family,” Newkirk continued during her interview with the station. She revealed that the fetus has significant health issues, according to updates she received during an interview with local news outlet 11 Alive.

“He may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not be able to survive once he’s born,” Newkirk said. “This decision should’ve been left to us. Now we’re left wondering what kind of life he’ll have, and we’re going to be the ones raising him.”

She did not express her family’s wishes in either direction. She merely stated her feelings about not being allowed to make the choice on her daughter’s behalf. “I’m not saying that we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy, but what I’m saying is, we should have had a choice,” she added when speaking to the NBC affiliate.

Smith is now 21 weeks pregnant. There are reportedly plans to keep her on life support until she is at 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered. Newkirk told 11 Alive that the process would lead to “More cost, more trauma, more questions.”

Georgia has one of the most restrictive reproductive health environments in the nation. “In 2019, Georgia House Bill 481 (HB 481) passed by a narrow margin, banning abortions upon detection of embryonic cardiac activity, as early as six weeks of gestation,” according to the Journal of Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters. The bill, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp, was initially overturned by the Fulton County Superior Court. Later, following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of Georgia permitted the controversial law to be reinstated.

Smith’s family is not only grieving the loss of the 30-year-old mother and nurse they loved. According to Newkirk’s NBC interview, they are also potentially incurring financial obligations associated with her sustained treatment by the hospital.

This case has become a lightning rod for grim discourse surrounding the impact of abortion bans on pregnant individuals and their families. Pundits, activists, and commentators have raised concerns about what a person being incapacitated means for their reproductive health.

It is not the first Georgia case to garner attention following the ban’s enactment. Social media mourned the life of another Georgia mother and medical professional named Amber Thurman in 2022. Thurman died after she was unable to gain access to reproductive care, according to reporting from ProPublica.

The American Journal of Public Health theorized that adverse healthcare outcomes could arise from delays in abortion care for those affected by Georgia’s stringent abortion regulations in 2015.

Other states, including Mississippi, South Carolina, Alabama, Louisiana, West Virginia, and Kentucky, have similar austere approaches to reproductive healthcare access.

We can never forget Adriana Smith; she is more than a body.

Resources:

Journal of Intensive Care

Journal Racial Ethnic Health Disparities

AMA Journal of Ethics

Journal of Sexual and Reproductive Matters

ProPublica

American Journal of Public Health

ShareTweetSharePin
Next Post
Growing up on a farm can prevent asthma and allergies

Growing up on a farm can prevent asthma and allergies

Most Read

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

What causes stuttering? A speech pathology researcher explains the science and the misconceptions around this speech disorder

December 15, 2022
morning back pain

Morning Again Ache Trigger Is Not the Mattress

October 11, 2021

4 steps to building a healthier relationship with your phone

January 28, 2025

Why Circadian Rhythms Matter for Your Health

July 30, 2024
lower back pain relief exercises

5 decrease again ache aid workouts

October 11, 2021
Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

Nasal vaccines promise to stop the COVID-19 virus before it gets to the lungs – an immunologist explains how they work

December 14, 2022
bleeding in gum

When The Bleeding in gum Is Severe ?

October 11, 2021
Good Night Sleep

6 Causes of Good Evening Sleep

October 11, 2021
3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

3 years after legalization, we have shockingly little information about how it changed cannabis use and health harms

October 15, 2021
Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

Kick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia

January 3, 2023
Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

Biden is getting prostate cancer treatment, but that’s not the best choice for all men − a cancer researcher describes how she helped her father decide

May 20, 2025
Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

Ten small changes you can make today to prevent weight gain

October 12, 2021

COVID vaccines: how one can pace up rollout in poorer international locations

October 5, 2021

Maximize Your Performance – Sync with Your Circadian Rhythms

August 9, 2024
Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

Five ways to avoid pain and injury when starting a new exercise regime

December 30, 2022

This Simple Hygiene Habit Could Cut Your Risk of Stroke, New Research Reveals

February 1, 2025

Multiple sclerosis: the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study

October 12, 2021
Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

Support and collaboration with health-care providers can help people make health decisions

December 16, 2021
Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

Greece to make COVID vaccines mandatory for over-60s, but do vaccine mandates work?

December 1, 2021
woman covered with white blanket

Exploring the Impact of Sleep Patterns on Mental Health

August 4, 2024
Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

Nurses’ attitudes toward COVID-19 vaccination for their children are highly influenced by partisanship, a new study finds

December 2, 2022
News of war can impact your mental health — here’s how to cope

Binge-eating disorder is more common than many realise, yet it’s rarely discussed – here’s what you need to know

December 2, 2022
FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

FDA limits access to COVID-19 vaccine to older adults and other high-risk groups – a public health expert explains the new rules

May 21, 2025
As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

As viral infections skyrocket, masks are still a tried-and-true way to help keep yourself and others safe

December 14, 2022
GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

GPs don’t give useful weight-loss advice – new study

December 16, 2022
Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

Four ways to avoid gaining weight over the festive period – but also why you shouldn’t fret about it too much

December 22, 2022
Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

Nutrition advice is rife with misinformation − a medical education specialist explains how to tell valid health information from pseudoscience

January 28, 2025
How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

How hot is too hot for the human body? Our lab found heat + humidity gets dangerous faster than many people realize

July 6, 2022
How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

How regulatory agencies, not the courts, are imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates

October 24, 2021
The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

The promise of repairing bones and tendons with human-made materials

January 4, 2022
  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS

  • Home
  • Health & Wellness
  • Disclaimer
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • DMCA Notice

© 2020 DAILY HEALTH NEWS