Georgia

A brain-dead woman's pregnancy raises questions about Georgia's abortion law

Published

10 months ago

May 21, 2025

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A brain-dead woman's pregnancy raises questions about Georgia's abortion law

Adriana Smith remains on life-support at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta.

Brynn Anderson/AP/AP

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Brynn Anderson/AP/AP

Adriana Smith, a 30 year-old nurse and mother, was about nine weeks pregnant in February when doctors declared her brain dead after she suffered a medical emergency.

But Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, told Atlanta TV station WXIA that doctors at Emory University Hospital have been keeping her organs functioning since then until the fetus can be delivered, citing Georgia’s law banning most abortions after fetal cardiac activity can be detected, or roughly six weeks into pregnancy.

Smith is now roughly 22 weeks into the pregnancy and has been on life support for more than 90 days.

“My grandson may be blind, may not be able to walk, we don’t know if he’ll live once she has him,” Newkirk told WXIA last week. “And I’m not saying we would have chose to terminate her pregnancy. What I’m saying is we should have had a choice.”

Case sparks legal questions

Democratic State Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes wrote a letter to Georgia’s Republican Attorney General Chris Carr asking for clarity about how Georgia’s abortion law should be applied in this context.

“Let me be plain: this is a grotesque distortion of medical ethics and human decency,” Islam Parkes wrote. “That any law in Georgia could be interpreted to require a brain-dead woman’s body to be artificially maintained as a fetal incubator is not only medically unsound — it is inhumane.”

The law, known as the LIFE Act, was narrowly passed and signed into law by Gov. Brian Kemp in 2019, but was not in force until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade in 2022. A legal challenge to Georgia’s abortion law is still working its way through the state courts.

“There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,” Carr’s office responded in a statement. “Removing life support is not an action ‘with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.”

Emory Healthcare seems to have come to a different conclusion. The hospital has not addressed the attorney general’s legal opinion and has not responded to repeated requests for comment, but the health system did provide a statement to several outlets last week.

“Emory Healthcare uses consensus from clinical experts, medical literature, and legal guidance to support our providers as they make individualized treatment recommendations in compliance with Georgia’s abortion laws and all other applicable laws,” the health system wrote. “Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve.”

Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California-Davis, says this disconnect is not uncommon in the post-Roe era, as medical providers in states with restrictive abortion laws have become more risk-averse. Running afoul of the law can carry criminal penalties in many states.

“This scenario in Georgia right now is an example of that where you have the attorney general who says, ‘No problem, go ahead,’ and you have doctors and their lawyers reading the law and saying, ‘We’re not so sure,” Ziegler says.

Ziegler also pointed to two other Black women in Georgia, Amber Thurman and Candi Miller, whose deaths drew national attention. ProPublica reported last year that a state panel ruled their deaths preventable and likely the result of doctors being slow or unwilling to provide abortion care because of Georgia’s law. Top Republicans in Georgia have disputed whether the state’s abortion law played any role.

The cases also highlighted Georgia’s maternal mortality crisis disproportionately affecting Black women.

Debate over personhood

In the case of Adriana Smith, Ziegler says one reason Emory may be interpreting Georgia law in this way is because of a provision in the abortion law establishing what is known as “fetal personhood.”

Fetal personhood is the idea that embryos and fetuses are people and have legal rights. In Georgia, for example, residents can claim a fetus as a dependent on state taxes.

Ziegler, author of the book Personhood, the New Civil War over Reproduction, says establishing fetal personhood has long been a goal of the anti-abortion movement.

Republican State Sen. Ed Setzler, who sponsored Georgia’s 2019 abortion law, said in a statement that he believes Emory is interpreting the law correctly.

“I think it is completely appropriate that the hospital do what they can to save the life of the child,” Setzler wrote in a statement to the AP. “I think this is an unusual circumstance, but I think it highlights the value of innocent human life. I think the hospital is acting appropriately.”

After the fall of Roe v. Wade, existing state personhood laws could be enforced, resulting in consequences, both intended and unintended, such as in the Georgia case. Ziegler says the debate could open up an array of new legal questions for areas like in-vitro fertilization, the census or child support.

As these cases spur more legal challenges, the issue could eventually land at the U.S. Supreme Court.

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Georgia

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief

Published

12 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering B in Georgia tax relief

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…

“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”

Key allocations in the amended budget include:

Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.

Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”

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Georgia

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.

According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’

WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:

The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.

DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)

However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.

RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout

GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.

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Georgia

Florida Continues Push to Beat Out Georgia for Top LB Recruit

Published

2 days ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Florida Continues Push to Beat Out Georgia for Top LB Recruit

After a huge ratings boost in the updated Rivals300 rankings that now has Joakim Gouda as a top-30 prospect in the 2027 class, the Florida Gators remain in contention for the elite Georgia linebacker despite an apparent leader in his recruitment.

Gouda, once unranked by Rivals, is now the second-highest-rated linebacker in his class. He has seen multiple expert predictions to land with Kirby Smart and the in-state Georgia Bulldogs recently. However, the Gators have consistently been in the mix for the athletic backer under Jon Sumrall, with both schools making his top five, as well as Texas, Auburn and Alabama, and official visits scheduled to all remaining contenders.

Despite the smoke around Georgia, Florida will still have a strong shot at the 6-foot-2, 225-pound defender with plenty of time left before his decision is officially made.

“Florida is definitely still strongly in the race,” Gouda told Florida Gators on SI. “I’m just focused on building relationships and taking my time. I’m not rushing a commitment — I want to make the best decision for me and my future.”

Though the Gators offered Gouda only just over two months ago, Florida has wasted no time in aggressively pursuing the talented athlete, who is expected back on campus for a visit this spring on top of his scheduled official visit from June 4 to June 6. While still somewhat early in the building of a relationship, the new staff member has stood out.

“Florida sits in my top 5 because I really like the program and the energy around it right now. Even with a lot of competition, I believe in my ability to compete and contribute.” Gouda said. “I think I could fit in well with Sumrall and the new staff because I’m coachable, hardworking, and focused on team success. I like their energy and vision for the program, and that’s earned them a real chance in my recruitment.”

Florida’s chances will rely heavily on the next few months, however, as Gouda goes through his visits looking for the best program fit amongst multiple premier options. With a long way to go till signing day, the Gators will have plenty of time to prove to the elite prospect that they meet his criteria.

“From Florida, I’m looking for a staff that truly believes in me, a system where I can develop, and a culture that feels like family,” Gouda said. “A program will earn my commitment by showing consistency, developing players, and giving me the best opportunity to grow on and off the field.”

After making 100 tackles during junior season at South Pauling High School (Ga.), Gouda is expected to surge up recruiting rankings as he heads toward a decision next year. While becoming one of the largest risers in his class as of late, the four-star is not getting complacent.

“The attention on Rivals feels good because it shows people are noticing my work,” Gouda said. “…I think it’s just a result of staying consistent and improving every day, but I’m still keeping my head down and grinding.”

The Gators will likely be in it till the end for the potential future five-star Gouda, with Sumrall and staff looking to fight off Smart in his home state and land one of the more exciting prospects at his position in 2027.