Pregnant woman who has been declared brain dead forced to be kept alive due to strict US law
A pregnant woman who has been declared brain dead is being forced to be kept alive due to a shocking abortion law in the United States.
Atlanta mum and nurse Adriana Smith, from Atlanta, Georgia in the US, first started experiencing headaches earlier this year in February - a time at which she was already nine weeks pregnant.
The 30-year-old then sought medical advice due to her symptoms and was reportedly sent away with medication.
However, just the following morning, Adriana'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.
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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?
Georgia's extremely controversial law dubbed the 'heartbeat law' which 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'.
Adriana's mother, April Newkirk, has since candidly opened up about the ordeal, telling 11 Alive that her family have been forced to endure 90 days of 'torture' as her daughter's case meets a legal grey area with doctors reportedly explaining to the family that, since she is no longer considered at risk, they are legally bound to maintain her life until the foetus reaches viability.
April 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, is '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 chose to terminate her pregnancy, what I'm saying is we should have had a choice."
She said that doctors are planning to keep Adriana, who is currently at 21 weeks, alive until the baby reaches 32 weeks.
At this point, doctors will induce the brain-dead woman into giving birth.
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, US News, Women's Health
Rhiannon Ingle