Adriana Smith was just 31 when she collapsed at home earlier this year. A registered nurse and mother from Atlanta, Adriana had been about nine weeks pregnant when she suffered a series of blood clots. Doctors declared her brain dead in February. But her story didn’t end there—because of Georgia’s strict abortion law, she was kept on life support for months, against her family’s wishes, until her baby could be delivered.
On June 13, doctors performed an emergency C-section and delivered Adriana’s son, Chance. He weighed just 1 pound, 13 ounces, and was rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit. A few days later, on June 17, life support was finally removed from Adriana, reported PEOPLE.
On June 28, her loved ones gathered at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia to say goodbye. The service was filled with emotion and love as family members remembered her warmth, dedication, and the compassion she brought to everyone she knew. “I’m thankful for everything she’s taught me—her love, her kindness, her wisdom,” said her younger sister. Her mother, April Newkirk, expressed the pain of losing her daughter so young: “My daughter should be burying me.”
Adriana’s story gained national attention because it underscored a deeply personal consequence of Georgia’s abortion law. Known as the LIFE Act, it bans abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which is often around six weeks. In Adriana’s case, that meant her body had to be kept alive so the fetus could continue developing, even though she had already been declared brain dead. Doctors said they were bound by law and couldn’t honor the family’s request to end life support.
The tragedy sparked widespread discussion across the country. Many questioned how laws like Georgia’s can override a family’s wishes and force a person’s body to be sustained for months after death.
A GoFundMe campaign supporting Adriana’s family has raised more than $460,000, showing just how many people have been moved by her story.
Lawmakers are also taking notice. Three Democratic members of Congress introduced a resolution on June 17 calling on states to repeal restrictive abortion laws and clarify medical decision-making rights. In Georgia, State Rep. Park Cannon proposed legislation that could become known as “Adriana’s Law,” aimed at protecting patient autonomy and ensuring families can make medical choices during tragic circumstances like this.
As Adriana’s baby boy fights for life in the NICU, her legacy is already sparking action and debate. Her death, and the months that followed, are forcing a closer look at how abortion laws intersect with real-life medical emergencies and deeply personal family decisions.