ATLANTA — A pregnant woman in Georgia was declared brain-dead after a medical emergency and doctors have kept her on life support for three months to allow enough time for the baby to be born and comply with Georgia’s strict anti-abortion law, family members say.
The case is the latest consequence of abortion bans introduced in some states since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade three years ago.
Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old mother and nurse, was declared brain-dead – meaning she is legally dead – in February, her mother, April Newkirk, told Atlanta TV station WXIA.
Newkirk said her daughter had intense headaches more than three months ago and went to Atlanta’s Northside Hospital, where she received medication and was released. The next morning, her boyfriend woke to her gasping for air and called 911. Emory University Hospital determined she had blood clots in her brain and she was later declared brain-dead.
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Emory University Hospital Midtown is seen on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in Atlanta.
AP Photo/Brynn Anderson
Newkirk said Smith is now 21 weeks pregnant. Removing breathing tubes and other life-saving devices would likely kill the fetus.
Northside did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. Emory Healthcare said it could not comment on an individual case because of privacy rules, but released a statement saying it “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. Our top priorities continue to be the safety and wellbeing of the patients we serve.”
Georgia’s abortion ban
Smith’s family says Emory doctors have told them they are not allowed to stop or remove the devices that are keeping her breathing because state law bans abortion after cardiac activity can be detected – generally around six weeks into pregnancy.
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The law was adopted in 2019 but not enforced until after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, opening the door to state abortion bans. Georgia’s ban includes an exception if an abortion is necessary to maintain the life of the woman.
Smith’s family, including her five-year-old son, still visit her in the hospital.
Newkirk said doctors told the family that the fetus has fluid on the brain and that they’re concerned about his health.
“She’s pregnant with my grandson. But he may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not survive once he’s born,” Newkirk said. She has not commented on whether the family wants Smith removed from life support.
Who has the right to make these decisions?
Monica Simpson, executive director of SisterSong, the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit challenging Georgia’s abortion law, said the situation is problematic.
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“Her family deserved the right to have decision-making power about her medical decisions,” Simpson said in a statement. “Instead, they have endured over 90 days of retraumatization, expensive medical costs, and the cruelty of being unable to resolve and move toward healing.”
Lois Shepherd, a bioethicist and law professor at the University of Virginia, said she does not believe Georgia’s law requires life support in this case.
But she said whether a state could insist Smith remains on the breathing and other devices is uncertain since the 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overturned Roe including that fetuses do not have the rights of people.
“Pre-Dobbs, a fetus didn’t have any rights,” Shepherd said. “And the state’s interest in fetal life could not be so strong as to overcome other important rights, but now we don’t know.”
What is the fetus’ prognosis?
Brain death in pregnancy is rare. Even rarer still are cases in which doctors aim to prolong the pregnancy after a woman is declared brain-dead.
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“It’s a very complex situation, obviously, not only ethically but also medically,” said Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, director of maternal fetal medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.
A 2021 review that Berghella co-authored scoured medical literature going back decades for cases in which doctors declared a woman brain-dead and aimed to prolong her pregnancy. It found 35.
Of those, 27 resulted in a live birth, the majority either immediately declared healthy or with normal follow-up tests. But Berghella also cautioned that the Georgia case was much more difficult because the pregnancy was less far along when the woman was declared brain dead. In the 35 cases he studied, doctors were able to prolong the pregnancy by an average of just seven weeks before complications forced them to intervene.
“It’ s just hard to keep the mother out of infection, out of cardiac failure,” he said.
Berghella also found a case from Germany that resulted in a live birth when the woman was declared brain dead at nine weeks of pregnancy.
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A spotlight on Georgia’s abortion law
Georgia’s law confers personhood on a fetus. Those who favor personhood say fertilized eggs, embryos and fetuses should be considered people with the same rights as those already born.
Georgia state Sen. Ed Setzler, a Republican who sponsored the 2019 law, said he supported Emory’s interpretation.
“I think it is completely appropriate that the hospital do what they can to save the life of the child,” Setzler said. “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.”
Setzler said he believes it is sometimes acceptable to remove life support from someone who is brain dead, but that the law is “an appropriate check” because the mother is pregnant. He said Smith’s relatives have “good choices,” including keeping the child or offering it for adoption.
Georgia’s abortion ban has been in the spotlight before.
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Last year, ProPublica reported that two Georgia women died after they did not get proper medical treatment for complications from taking abortion pills. The stories of Amber Thurman and Candi Miller entered into the presidential race, with Democrat Kamala Harris saying the deaths were the result of the abortion bans that went into effect in Georgia and elsewhere after Dobbs.
Abortion bans in other states
The situation echoes a case in Texas more than a decade ago when a brain-dead woman was kept on maintenance measures for about two months because she was pregnant. A judge eventually ruled that the hospital keeping her alive against her family’s wishes was misapplying state law, and life support was removed.
Twelve states are enforcing abortion bans at all stages of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. Georgia is one of four with a ban that kicks in at or around six weeks into pregnancy – often before women realize they’re pregnant.
Last year, the Texas Supreme Court ruled unanimously against a group of women who challenged that state’s abortion ban, saying the exceptions were being interpreted so narrowly that they were denied abortion access as they dealt with serious pregnancy complications. This year, the state Senate has passed a bill that seeks to clarify when abortions are allowed.
South Dakota produced a video to inform doctors about when exceptions should apply. Abortion rights groups have blasted it.
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The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in December over whether the federal law that requires hospitals to provide abortion in emergency medical situations should apply. A ruling is expected in coming months.
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Mulvihill reported from Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Associated Press journalists Kate Brumback, Sudhin Thanawala, Sharon Johnson and Charlotte Kramon contributed.
Even before the first snap of the 2025 college football season, Georgia football continues to improve its program by recruiting the Class of 2026.
Highlighting the 2026 class is 5-star and top-ranked quarterback Jared Curtis out of Nashville, Tennessee. Curtis was originally committed to Georgia before reopening his recruitment, before finally returning to Athens. Curtis threw for 2,830 yards and 40 touchdown passes per MaxPreps in his junior year at Nashville Christian.
“Let’s go! Go Dawgs!!!!” Curtis said via social media following his commitment.
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The Bulldogs also got the commitment of ATH Ryan Mosely to help Curtis on the outside. Mosley had 848 yards and 12 receiving TDs in his junior year at Carrollton per MaxPreps. Mosley stands at 6-foot-4, 206 pounds, making him a big target for any quarterback.
Coming to Athens with Curtis and Mosley on the offensive side of the ball are offensive linemen Zachary Lewis, Graham Houston and Zykie Helton. The trio all stand taller than 6’3” and 285 pounds according toRivals.com, and should provide size to the Bulldogs’ offensive line unit.
On the defensive side of the ball, Kirby Smart and his staff signed a multitude of 4-star players, including Justice Fitzpatrick out of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Fitzpatrick, the brother of NFL Star and Alabama graduate Minkah Fitzpatrick, totaled 34 tackles, 7 PBU and 2 INT as a junior for St. Thomas Aquinas per 247Sports.
Along with Fitzpatrick, the Bulldogs added defensive back Jordan Smith from Warner Robins, Georgia and defensive end Carter Luckie from Norcross, Georgia, the brother of current Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie.
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The Bulldogs added pieces at all three phases of the game as they signed the #1 nationally ranked punter for the Class of 2026, Wade Register.
Georgia continued to emphasize signing players at all three phases by signing the #1 kicker in the country, Harran Zureikat. The 6-foot, 180-pound specialist plays high school football as a kicker and punter for Fox Chapel Area High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Johnson won the Newcomers Preliminary Talent Award for her tap dance to ‘Sunday Finest’ by Sir Rosevelt. She is from Twin City and was dual enrolled at ECI, where she was valedictorian, and EGSC. She will transfer to the University of Georgia this fall, majoring in biological science.
The 80th Annual Miss Georgia Scholarship and The Miss Georgia’s Teen Competitions are being held in the Bill Heard Theatre of the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Historic Columbus, Georgia.
On Friday, June 13, Halli Kate Johnson, a dual enrollment student at East Georgia State College, won the Newcomers Preliminary Talent Award. Halli Kate is the daughter of Wade and Anna Johnson and attended Emanuel County Institute, where she was the valedictorian this year. She will transfer to the University of Georgia in the fall as a biological science major.
Former Miss Georgia Southern Megan Wright took home a second prelim round award for her Broadway vocal talent. Wright placed in the evening gown competition earlier in the week.
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The full results of the night of the Preliminary Competition are the following:
Miss Georgia’s Teen
Preliminary Talent Award ($200 Scholarship): Miss Rome’s Teen, Sydney Snyder, from Hogansville, GA, age 16, she attends Lagrange High School, her community service initiative is “Active Live, Healthy Mind”. Her talent is lyrical dance.
Newcomers Preliminary Talent Award ($100 Scholarship): Miss Southeast Georgia’s Teen, Halli Kate Johnson, from Twin City, GA, age 18, she attends Emanuel County Institute, her community service initiative is “A Doggy Difference.” Her talent is a tap dance.
Preliminary Evening Gown Award ($100 Scholarship): Miss Warner Robin’s Teen, Kameron Griffith, from Kathleen, GA, age 16, she attends Veterans High School, her community service initiative is “Compassion to Action: Promoting Youth Volunteerism”. Her talent is contemporary vocalist.
Miss Georgia
Preliminary Talent Award ($500 Scholarship): Miss Rome, Megan Wright, from Calhoun, GA, age 22, she attends Georgia Southern University, her community service initiative is Wright Response: Learn; Train; Save a Life.” Her talent is a Broadway vocal performance.
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Newcomers Preliminary Talent Award ($250 Scholarship): Miss Dogwood, JW Watson, from Thomasville, GA, age 22, attends Valdosta State University, her community service initiative is “Seeing the Invisible: Chronic Illness Awareness”. Her talent is a Broadway vocal performance.
Preliminary Evening Gown Award ($300 Scholarship): Miss Northwest Georgia, Aleks Arwood, from Thomasville, GA, age 22, she attends University of Georgia, her community service initiative is “What If We Lead?”. Her talent is Jazz en Pointe.
The sexual abuse campaigner and former reality star Georgia Harrison has told the BBC she is “honoured” to be receiving an MBE.
Harrison, 30, will be awarded for her efforts to tackle violence against women and girls, which includes working with the government on the Online Safety Act in 2023.
She says she feels “a responsibility to help” the many women who are victims of crimes such as intimate image abuse and deepfaking.
Her ex-partner Stephen Bear was jailed for 21 months in 2023 after uploading sexual footage of himself and Harrison to OnlyFans filmed without her consent.
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Harrison, who is being awarded her MBE as part of the King’s Birthday Honours, said she had to re-read the letter she received from King Charles “three times” as she “just couldn’t believe it”.
“It’s definitely not something I anticipated and it feels nice to have my work recognised because with campaigning sometimes you feel like a lot goes unnoticed,” she told the BBC.
The former reality star appeared on ITV shows such as The Only Way is Essex in 2017 and Love Island in 2018, where she entered the villa as a bombshell and gained nationwide fame.
It was during 2019 that she entered MTV’s The Challenge, where she met fellow reality star Bear.
The pair dated on and off for a few months, with Harrison discovering in December 2020 that the now 35-year-old Bear had uploaded intimate CCTV footage of them to streaming service OnlyFans without her consent.
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She subsequently reported the crime and Bear was sentenced after being found guilty of voyeurism and discussing private, sexual photographs and films.
Harrison was then awarded compensation in a damages claim and said she would donate some of the £207,900 to charity.
She says she often feels a “responsibility to help” as she worries about the increase of social media influencers fuelling misogyny and sexism.
Harrison, who is currently expecting her first child, said: “I’d be scared to have a teenager right now, being completely honest, I really would be terrified”.
“We’ve seen with the rise of Andrew Tate and some men thinking the thing to do with women is to mistreat them and think they can do what they want with them,” she said.
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She added she feels the need to let women know, “they deserve to be treated fairly, they deserve consent and the right to their own bodies”.
A recent poll of teachers in the UK found three in five believe social media use has had a negative effect on behaviour in schools – with Tate being named as a reason by a number of teachers in the poll.
Harrison says she has been into some schools recently to watch consent workshops with primary school age children, describing them as “brilliant”.
She hopes that these type of lessons will have an impact for the next generation.
“I’d like to think by the time my child gets to the age where consent becomes an issue, things are going to be a lot better, because we are doing something to educate around consent and that’s something that’s never really been done before in this generation,” she added.
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Harrison says “on a positive note” women have told her case and “the strength you found” has encouraged them to take their perpetrators to court for causes of rape, domestic abuse and intimate image abuse.
Since Bear’s conviction in 2022, she has campaigned to increase the support for women and girls who have faced similar crimes to her by working on the Online Safety Act and as part of the Women and Equalities Committee.
She says she has been working with the committee on improving timescales for women who want to report crimes against them – as currently they only have six months after a crime has taken place to tell the police about it.
“It took me about four months to even realise a crime had been committed to me when it happened so its scary to think, had I been notified a few months later, I may not have had the right to justice.
“It should be a lot easier for women out there,” she added.
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Harrison says she has also been receiving more and more messages from victims of deepfakes, which are videos, pictures or audio clips made with AI to look or sound real.
There have been recent concerns about schoolchildren using apps to distribute AI-generated deepfake content, despite the practice being illegal.
The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) – a UK-based charity partly funded by tech firms – said in February there had been 245 reports of AI-generated child sexual abuse in 2024 compared with 51 in 2023, a 380% increase.
“I think [deepfake] technology is getting a lot more impressive and easier to access,” Harrison said.
Earlier this year, the government announced laws to tackle the threat of child sexual abuse images being generated by AI, which include making it illegal to possess, create, or distribute AI tools designed to create such material.
