Overview

• Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse declared brain-dead in February, is being kept on life support due to Georgia's abortion law, which prohibits terminating pregnancies after cardiac activity is detected.
• Doctors at Emory Healthcare have maintained life support for over 90 days, citing legal obligations under the state's 2019 LIFE Act, while the fetus has reached 21 weeks gestation with reported health complications, including fluid on the brain.
• Smith's family has expressed emotional and financial strain, stating they have been denied the right to make medical decisions, as the law prioritizes fetal personhood established under the abortion ban.
• Bioethicists and legal experts argue that removing life support from a brain-dead patient would not constitute an abortion under Georgia law, but the hospital has opted for a conservative legal interpretation.
• The case has reignited debates over the implications of abortion bans, fetal personhood, and family autonomy, with parallels drawn to a Texas precedent where a court ruled against a hospital's similar actions.