Brain dead, pregnant Atlanta nurse kept on life support to grow fetus gives birth to 1lb 13oz preemie named Chance: Hes just fighting
A pregnant woman who has been brain dead since February — and kept alive via life support in order to comply with Georgia’s abortion law — gave birth prematurely to a baby boy, ending the months-long medical and ethical ordeal at an Atlanta hospital.Atlanta nurse Adriana Smith, 31, gave birth on June 13, three months premature via C-section, to a baby who weighs 1 pound 13 ounces and is currently in the neonatal intensive care unit at Emory University Hospital Midtown, according to local reports.Smith’s family members named the baby Chance and hope he’ll get a fighting one himself.“He’s expected to be OK,” Smith’s mother April Newkirk told local outlet 11 Alive.“He’s just fighting.We just want prayers for him.
Just keep praying for him.He’s here now.”Newkirk previously told the press that the boy could be born with a variety of health problems and that the family is hoping his name brings him good fortune, according to reports.As the grandmother prays for her grandbaby’s tenuous health, Newkirk’s daughter Adriana Smith, who turned 31 over the weekend, will finally be taken off of life support, the outlet reported.“It’s kind of hard, you know.
It’s hard to process,” she said tearfully.Smith entered herself into Emory University Hospital, where she worked as a nurse, in February, with severe headaches.At the time, she was nine weeks pregnant.She was discharged from the hospital with medication, but soon returned due to the intensity of the headaches.A CT scan revealed multiple blood clots in her brain.
Her health deteriorated while at the hospital, where, within hours, she was declared brain dead.Smith was then moved to Emory Midtown, where doctors have utilized life-supporting technologies to keep her alive to be in compliance with the state of Georgia’s LIFE Act, commonly referred to as the “heartbeat bill.”That law bans any abortion after six weeks of pregnancy and provides fetuses with full legal rights and protection...