A baby boy named Chance was born in Atlanta—a child carried by a woman diagnosed with brain death. His mother, 30-year-old nurse Adriana Smith, was hospitalized at nine weeks pregnant. Doctors found multiple blood clots and confirmed brain death, after which Smith was placed on life support to give the fetus a chance to survive. Under Georgia state law restricting abortion rights, the hospital was not allowed to turn off life-sustaining equipment until the baby was delivered.
As Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, told NBC News, the baby—born prematurely on June 13 via emergency C-section—weighed around 800 grams and is currently in a neonatal intensive care unit. “He’s expected to be okay,” the grandmother said. “He’s fighting. We just want people to pray for him.”
According to Newkirk, Adriana Smith’s body will be taken off life support following the birth of the child. The family says they were not given the opportunity to make that decision themselves.
Rights That Still Need Defending
Trump Revokes Emergency Abortion Protections in Hospitals. The Rule Had Required Doctors to Save Women With Life-Threatening Complications
The Oldest Law Fades Into History
England and Wales Decriminalize Abortion
Support for Abortion Rights Is Declining Among Men
Women Have Become More Vocal Since the Repeal of Roe v. Wade
