The baby boy of Adriana Smith, the Georgia woman who was declared brain dead while pregnant, has been born via C-section in Atlanta.
Key Takeaways:
- Adriana Smith’s baby boy, Chance, was born June 13 weighing one pound, 13 ounces. He is in the NICU.
- Smith’s mother says Chance is “expected to be okay,” but requests prayers for him.
- Smith’s life support was set to be turned off at 2 pm EST on Tuesday, June 17, according to her mother.
The Details:
According to Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, baby Chance was born prematurely on Friday, June 13, by emergency C-section. According to Newkirk, he weighed one pound, 13 ounces, and is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The family asked for prayers for Chance as they also observed Smith’s 31st birthday over the weekend.
“He’s expected to be okay,” said Newkirk. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”
Newkirk said Smith was set to be removed from life support today, June 17, at 2 pm EST.
“It’s kinda hard. It’s hard to process,” said Newkirk, adding, “I’m her mother. I shouldn’t be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me. If I could say one more thing to her, I guess I would tell her that I love her and that she was a great daughter… So I’m just trying to hold it together right now.”
The Backstory:
Smith has been on life support for nearly four months after suffering a medical emergency at nine weeks pregnant. She went to the hospital with a severe headache, but was sent home with medication. The next morning, her boyfriend awoke to her gasping for air and gurgling. She was rushed to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed blood clots in her brain.
She was pronounced brain dead; based on state laws regarding advance directives, she was kept on life support until her son was old enough to be born.
The media and pro-abortion activists exploited Smith’s story, claiming that she was being kept on life support against her family’s wishes. However, in a previous interview, Newkirk explained, “I just want to be clear on something: we want her to have her baby. We want her life to continue through[] her children.”
The media also blamed Georgia’s LIFE Act for keeping Smith on life support; however, the Attorney General’s office said the LIFE Act was irrelevant in Smith’s case because removal from life support is not an abortion.
“There is nothing in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on life support after brain death,” said spokesperson for the Georgia Attorney General’s office, Kara Murray. “Removing life support is not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy.”
The Bottom Line:
Smith’s grieving family is walking an unthinkably difficult road, praying for the survival of baby boy Chance while mourning the loss of the young nurse who her mother says “had a lot to give.” The family believes the hospital failed their daughter when they sent her home without a CT scan.
Please pray for Smith’s family and for baby Chance.
