Brain dead pregnant woman who was forced to be kept alive has baby delivered by doctors and he only weighs 1lb
A pregnant woman who has been declared brain dead yet still forced to be kept alive due to a shocking abortion law in the United States has now had her baby - who weighs just 1lb 13oz (0.8kg) - delivered by doctors.
On Friday (13 June), Atlanta mum and nurse Adriana Smith had her son, named Chance, delivered prematurely via C-section and he is now being kept in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Smith's mother April Newkirk told local news station 11Alive: "He's expected to be OK. He's just fighting. We just want prayers for him."
She added that her daughter, who is 31 years old, would be taken off life support this week.
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"It's hard to process," she said. "I'm her mother. I shouldn't be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me."
Smith first started experiencing headaches earlier this year in February - a time at which she was already nine weeks pregnant
She then sought medical advice due to her symptoms and was reportedly sent away with medication.
However, just the following morning, Smith's boyfriend reported hearing her making gurgling noises and gasping for air, prompting him to rush her to hospital where a CT scan revealed she had multiple blood clots in her brain.
In a tragic turn of events, it was unfortunately too late to save Adriana's life, and doctors at the hospital declared her brain dead.
She has since been kept alive on a ventilator for three whole months, meaning she has been unable to pass away peacefully.
And the reason why?
Well, Georgia's extremely controversial law dubbed the 'heartbeat law' prohibits the termination of any pregnancy after six weeks gestation following the 2022 overturn of Roe v. Wade.
The legislation in question declares that no abortion can be carried out if there is a 'detectable human heartbeat' except in the event of a 'medical emergency or medically futile pregnancy'.
A termination can only be performed 'to save the pregnant person's life', to 'preserve' the woman's 'physical health' and 'if the foetus is not expected to survive the pregnancy'.
Smith's mother, Newkirk, has previously opened up about the horrifying situation, telling 11Alive that her family have been forced to endure 90 days of 'torture' as her daughter's case met a legal grey area with doctors reportedly explaining to the family that, since she was no longer considered at risk, they were legally bound to maintain her life until the foetus reaches viability.
She said: "She’s been breathing through machines for more than 90 days. It’s torture for me. I see my daughter breathing, on a ventilator but she’s not there. And I'm touching her.
"And her son - I bring him to see her."
The grieving mother added that it's even more heartbreaking that her grandson believes that his mum, Adriana, was 'just sleeping'.
"I think every woman should have the right to make their own decision," she continued. "And if not, then their partner or their parents."
April noted: "She’s pregnant with my grandson. But my grandson may be blind, may not be able to walk, wheelchair bound, we don't know if he'll live once she has him.
"It should have been left up to the family because, I'm in my fifties, her dad is in his fifties, so we're gonna have the responsibility with her partner to raise her sons. And I'm not saying that we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy, what I'm saying is we should have had a choice."
For help, support and advice about abortion, contact the British Pregnancy Advisory Service on 03457 30 40 30, 7am to 6pm Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm on Saturdays, and 9.30am to 2.30pm on Sundays.
Topics: Health, Parenting, Politics, Pregnancy, Real Life, True Life, US News, Women's Health
Rhiannon Ingle