Desperate parents are waiting: U.S. woman after brain death due to abortion ban alive

Desperate parents are waiting: U.S. woman after brain death due to abortion ban alive

Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old American, has been brain dead for more than 90 days and still still pregnant. The situation is not only tragic, but also legally complex, since the strict abortion laws in the US state of Georgia force the doctors to keep them alive against the will of their family. Adriana's mother, April Newkirk, describes the situation as painful and heartbreaking.

The tragedy began in the ninth week of pregnancy when Adriana felt severe headache and visited a hospital. Despite these symptoms, no tests or a CT scan were carried out and it was sent home. The next morning, her condition worsened dramatically when she got breathing problems. Her friend called the rescue and a CT scan in the hospital showed several blood clots in the brain. Unfortunately, the planned operation was late, and Adriana succumbed to brain death.

legal gray area

In Georgia, abortions have been banned after the sixth week of pregnancy since 2022, unless there is a medical emergency. However, the current laws do not consider Adriana's brain death as a medical emergency, which means that the doctors are legally obliged to maintain life -supporting measures until the fetus can be born viable. This is expected to happen until the 32nd week of pregnancy.

Adriana is now in the 21st week of pregnancy, and even if doctors make progress in maintaining pregnancy, the burden for the family remains extremely high. Smith's case is considered particularly difficult because the decisions of the doctors cannot be made in consultation with the family, which increases the emotional burden for April Newkirk and the other relatives.

The historical context

In order to better understand the scope of this situation, it is important to remember historical developments in US abduction rights. On January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court of the United States in the fundamental judgment "Roe vs. Wade" decided that women have the right to decide whether they want to stop pregnancy. This judgment led to a significant increase in legal abortion in the United States, whereby the number of 745,000 in 1973 increased to 1.58 million in 1981.

After decades of disputes, this fundamental right was tipped over on June 24, 2022 by the Supreme Court with 5 to 4 votes. This resulted in 13 states to issue almost complete bans, while more liberal laws in other states continue to apply. In Georgia, where Adriana Smith lives, the abortion law is considered particularly restrictive, which dreary stories like theirs.

The case of Adriana Smith is not only a personal tragedy, but a reflection of the current political and legal conflicts on the right to abortion in the USA. Experts warn that such situations could occur more often in the future if nothing changes in the applicable laws.

For more information about Adriana Smith's situation and the legal implications in Georgia, see Krone , 20 minutes and for the historical context Federal Center for Political Education .