Funeral held for Georgia mother kept on life support while pregnant

article

Adriana Smith. (Courtesy of GoFundMe)

LITHONIA, Ga. - Adriana Smith, the Georgia woman who was declared brain-dead but kept alive for months until her baby could be born, has been laid to rest.

Smith's celebration of life was held on Saturday at the Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia.

The backstory:

Smith's family says she suffered a medical emergency in February while two months pregnant, which left her brain-dead. Doctors were able to sustain her on life support long enough to give her unborn child a chance at survival.

Her baby was reportedly delivered on June 13 and Smith was removed from life support on June 17. Smith would have celebrated her 32nd birthday on June 15. FOX 5 Atlanta has been unable to independently confirm these details because the family has not responded to requests for information. 

What they're saying:

Smith’s family said Emory doctors told them they were not allowed to remove the devices keeping her breathing because state law bans abortion after cardiac activity can be detected — generally around six weeks into pregnancy.

The other side:

Georgia Republican Attorney General Chris Carr later issued a statement saying the law did not require medical professionals to keep a woman declared brain dead on life support.

"Removing life support is not an action ‘with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy,’" Carr said.

PREVIOUS STORIES

• Lawmakers clash over care of pregnant, brain-dead Georgia woman
• ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ in real life? Georgia AG says heartbeat law not to blame
• Democrats urge Kemp, Carr to clarify GA abortion law; Kemp responds
• Brain-dead Georgia woman kept on life support due to state's abortion law

Dig deeper:

On June 17, Georgia Congresswoman Nikema Williams introduced a resolution with co-leads Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) and Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51) recognizing the "tragic and deeply disturbing case" of Smith.

According to a press release from Williams, Smith's son Change was born prematurely at 4:41 a.m. June 13 via emergency Cesarean section and weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces at birth.

"I extend my sympathies to Adriana Smith’s family as they spend their final moments with Adriana on their terms. Adriana Smith deserved better at every point of this tragedy. Her family, along with baby Chance, remain in my family’s prayers as they navigate life after this unimaginably devastating situation that Georgia’s laws imposed on them.," Williams said when announcing the resolution.

What you can do:

Smith's family has started a GoFundMe to help support the newborn and Smith's 7-year-old son.

It has raised more than $466,000 of its $490,000 goal.