Georgia family seeks support after young mother declared brain dead, kept on life support due to pregnancy

A Georgia family is asking for prayers and public support following a devastating medical crisis involving Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old pregnant nurse and mother who was declared brain-dead on Feb. 19 after experiencing severe headaches.

At the time, Adriana was just two months pregnant.

Adrianna Smith : pregnant Georgia mother on life support

Due to Georgia’s heartbeat law, she has been kept on life support to sustain her unborn child, despite her condition and the family’s wishes. Doctors have since warned that the baby may be born with severe disabilities.

Adriana leaves behind a 7-year-old son and her family. They are seeking support to help with medical, legal, and living expenses during this painful and uncertain time.

Per the GoFundMe, Adriana complained about intense headaches months prior. She travelled to two local hospitals which family claims the 30-year-old mother received inadequate care with no “tests or proper examination” and was released with medication.

The next day on Feb. 19, Adrianna was found unresponsive and was rushed to Emory University Hospital, where she was a registered nurse. Doctors there determined she had blood clots in her brain and she was declared brain-dead.

Georgia’s “heartbeat law”

Due to Adrianna expecting her unborn child, she was kept on life support due to Georgia’s heart beat law.

Her family is upset that Georgia’s law, which restricts abortion once cardiac activity is detected, doesn’t allow relatives to have a say in whether a pregnant woman is kept on life support.

Georgia’s “heartbeat law,” formally known as the Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act (LIFE Act), prohibits abortions after a fetal heartbeat is detected, which typically occurs around six weeks of pregnancy. This law was enacted in 2019 but became enforceable after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Smith’s family alleges Emory doctors have told them they are not allowed to stop or remove the devices that are keeping her breathing because of the state law.

A spokesperson for Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement to CBS News on Friday, “There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death.”

“Removing life support is not an action ‘with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy,'” the spokesperson said, quoting part of the law.

Smith’s family simply just wants to have a choice without the barriers.

GoFundMe for Pregnant Mother on Life Support

A GoFundMe has been created to help the family during this difficult time. The family is also having to deal with the financial responsibility of keeping Smith on life support.

“Adriana has a 7-year-old son and family behind left who’s broken. We’re asking for prayers and support during this time. Anything helps.”

Read more on Adriana Smith

• Family honors Adriana Smith one year after death with Atlanta billboard campaign calling for Georgia law reform
• Georgia baby born after mother declared brain dead faces health struggles
• Adriana Smith taken off life support after baby delivered via emergency c-section
• Family says brain-dead Georgia mom delivers baby