Adriana Smith’s funeral is set for June 28. The Georgia mother’s case drew national attention after she remained on life support while pregnant.
ATLANTA — Funeral arrangements have been set for Adriana Smith, the metro Atlanta nurse who was pronounced brain dead earlier this year while pregnant and subsequently delivered a baby boy.
A viewing is scheduled for Friday, June 28, from 10 a.m. to noon at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia, with a funeral service to follow from noon to 2:30 p.m. The church’s address is 6133 Redan Road.
Smith was taken off life support on June 17, nearly four months following her declaration of brain death caused by blood clots in her brain. At that moment, she was eight weeks pregnant.
Her son, Chance, was delivered by emergency C-section on June 13. He was born prematurely, weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces, and remains in the NICU.
“He’s expected to be OK,” her mother, April Newkirk, previously told 11Alive. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him. He’s here now.”
Smith’s story drew national attention as her family said Georgia’s abortion law, known as the LIFE Act, forced doctors to keep her on life support because she was pregnant. The law bans most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected, around six weeks, and does not clearly address situations involving brain death.
In a statement last month, the Georgia Attorney General’s Office said the LIFE Act does not require doctors to maintain life support after a patient has been declared brain dead. Legal experts say that while the law includes some exceptions, it leaves important questions unanswered for patients, families, and hospitals.
Smith’s family has questioned whether her condition could have been prevented. Newkirk said her daughter went to the hospital with a severe headache in early February and was sent home without a CT scan. Hours later, she was unresponsive.
Doctors initially hoped to delay delivery until 32 weeks, but Smith underwent an emergency C-section on June 13.
She is survived by her newborn son and a 7-year-old child.
“I shouldn’t be burying my daughter,” Newkirk said. “My daughter should be burying me.”
The family is asking for continued prayers as they prepare to say their final goodbye.
Editor’s note: The above video is from a previous report.
