US EditionHospital tells family brain-dead Georgia woman must carry fetus to birth because of abortion ban
- A brain-dead pregnant woman in Atlanta, Georgia, has been kept on life support for over three months to allow fetal development amid the state's abortion ban.
- Georgia's 2019 heartbeat law, which restricts abortion once a fetal heartbeat can be detected—typically around six weeks—began being applied after the 2022 Supreme Court decision that ended federal abortion protections, limiting family involvement in decisions about life support for pregnant brain-dead women.
- The woman's family, upset by the situation, says hospital staff told them they cannot withdraw life support under state law, while bioethicists disagree on legal requirements.
- A 2021 medical review found 35 cases of brain-dead pregnant women maintained to prolong pregnancy, with 27 resulting in live births mostly reported healthy, but current fetal health concerns exist.
- This case highlights ethical and legal conflicts arising from restrictive abortion laws, raising questions about decision-making rights and implications for similar future cases.
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436 Articles
Advocates blame 'heartbeat' law for brain-dead woman's plight
ATLANTA — Groups that promote access to abortion and medical services for Black women said Thursday that uncertainty about Georgia’s abortion restrictions were to blame for the decision to keep a brain dead, pregnant woman on life support.
Her Miscarriage Showed the Limits of California’s Abortion Protections. Where You Live Matters
Catholic hospitals run 20% of California’s maternity wards. Their policies generally prohibit abortion, even in miscarriage, as long as a heartbeat can be detected.
Reader's View: Why fight law that saved grandchild?
On May 15, NBC News told the story of a grandmother whose daughter was declared brain dead. The grandmother seemed upset about the law denying her brain-dead daughter the “right” to have her unborn child aborted. Approximately 30 years ago, I conducted a community-education seminar on brain death. Two medical doctors attended. During the discussion that followed a video, I asked the doctors whether it is possible for a brain-dead mother to keep …
Florida Phoenix
kentuckylantern.comSponsor of Georgia abortion ban spared trauma of watching brain dead loved one carry fetus
Doctors and lawyers at Emory Healthcare – but mainly the lawyers, I suspect – say that under Georgia’s anti-abortion law, they are required to keep Adriana’s body functioning as the fetus inside her develops. (Photo by John McCosh/Georgia Recorder)By most common measures, the life of Adriana Smith ended three months ago, when a tragic series of undiagnosed blood clots left her brain dead, with no hope of recovery. Yet today, in a hospital room i…
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