One Georgia woman’s complex case is stirring public conversation about brain death, Pro-Life laws, and patient rights.
Adriana Smith was about 8 to 9 weeks pregnant when she arrived at a hospital in February of 2025, complaining of a severe headache. She was given medication and discharged. The following day, she was rushed back to the hospital after waking up gasping for air. Tragically, doctors discovered blood clots in her brain. She was placed on a ventilator and declared brain-dead only hours later.
Under Georgia law, brain death is defined as the “irreversible cessation of all functions of the entire brain, including the brain stem.” Bioethicists warn that brain death may not be a good way to decide if someone is actually dead. Brain death only looks at brain function to determine death, ignoring the rest of the body. This is different from when someone passes away naturally—the patient’s entire body, including the brain and all other organs, stops working.
Even though it’s questionable, brain death is considered legal death. Once a patient is declared brain-dead, hospitals will remove the patient from life-sustaining treatment, such as a ventilator, regardless of the family’s wishes or a patient’s previously expressed desires.
However, Smith’s case was different. She was pregnant with Baby Chance at the time of her brain death declaration.
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Smith’s doctors stated that they were required to keep her on the ventilator, even if her family wanted to remove her. The hospital planned to keep Smith on her ventilator until the baby could be safely delivered via c-section at around 32 weeks.
The family openly expressed their frustration. Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, said, “We want the baby. That’s a part of my daughter. But the decision should have been left to us, not the state.”
Smith’s case has raised concerns about brain death, but also about the misinformation on Pro-Life laws. Doctors and media outlets pointed to Georgia’s Pro-Life statutes as the reason Adriana was kept on life-sustaining treatment. But this is an inaccurate understanding of the law.
Georgia’s Advanced Directive for Health Care Act prohibits removing a pregnant woman’s life-sustaining treatment unless she made a legal document that expresses her wishes, and her unborn child is not viable. Smith did not seem to have any advanced directives in place and thus did not qualify. This law is not about abortion, but about end-of-life care.
The real debate is found in Smith’s brain death declaration.
Brain death is based on the belief that the brain is the master integrating organ of the body. It uses the lack of brain function to determine death, which ignores the biological function of the rest of the body. Biological death, on the other hand, considers the body as a whole — if all organs and systems stop working, the person is considered deceased. Unlike brain death, biological death does not focus solely on the brain.
If Smith was dead, how was Baby Chance still growing?
A study on the Neuroendocrinology of Pregnancy and Parturition explains that the maternal brain plays a critical role in maintaining pregnancy. For the baby to continue developing, certain areas of the brain, such as the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, must remain functional. If these areas were still active in Smith’s body, it challenges the assertion that she was truly dead.
Many advocated for removing Smith from the ventilator because Baby Chance might be born with disabilities, or might not survive birth. Smith’s mother responded saying, “Whatever condition God allows him to come here in, we’re going to love him just the same.” Every life, regardless of their location or disability, has intrinsic value. Smith and Baby Chance are both human beings who need care and protection. Doctors had a responsibility to both Smith and her child.
On June 13, 2025, Smith gave birth to Baby Chance via c-section at 25 weeks, earlier than planned. Shortly after, Baby Chance was taken to the NICU and Smith was removed from her ventilator and passed away. This is a tragic situation.
The Smith family is mourning the loss of Adriana while praying for Baby Chance’s survival.
Please join us in praying for the Smith family.
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