Overview

• Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse, was declared brain-dead in February and placed on life support at Emory Decatur Hospital for four months under Georgia’s six-week abortion ban without her family’s consent.
• Medical teams performed an emergency cesarean on June 13 to deliver Chance, who was immediately admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit.
• Smith’s life support was withdrawn on June 17 and her death was officially declared that day.
• Doctors caution that Chance, born prematurely in a brain-dead body, has a high likelihood of serious disabilities due to her unique gestational conditions.
• Bioethicists and patient-rights advocates are questioning Georgia’s restrictive abortion law and its impact on medical consent and ethical decision-making.