Pregnant American woman is dead, but doctors refuse to disconnect her from life support (6 photos)

In the intensive care unit of a hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, lies a patient whose fate has touched millions of people. However, they are not fighting for the life of 30-year-old Adriana Smith, but for her right to die.





At nine weeks pregnant, Adriana Smith, a nurse by training, went to the hospital because of severe headaches. Doctors prescribed her medication and sent her home without doing a CT scan. The next morning, the woman woke up barely breathing and making eerie gurgling sounds.

Patient found with blood clots in brain at hospital. She was declared dead after unsuccessful surgery.



Adriana Smith leaves behind 7-year-old son

Emory hospital tragedy turns into 'absolute horror show' when family learns Adriana will be kept on life support.

Hospital spokesman says they are following Georgia laws banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.

Controversial law dubbed 'heartbeat bill' includes exception to save mother's life. But this does not apply to Adriana Smith, because her life cannot be saved.





Doctors warn of possible complications. They note that life support systems are not designed to support brain-dead patients for a long time. Blood stops flowing to the mother's brain, and the organ begins to decompose.

"The chances of having a healthy baby are extremely low," says Steven Ralston, director of fetal medicine at George Washington University in Washington.



"It's torture for me," said her mother, April Newkirk (pictured left with Adriana). "I can see my daughter breathing on a ventilator, but she's not here with us."

Adriana's depressing medical situation and family helplessness have stirred up abortion advocates. The case shows how the pro-life philosophy can be cruel and inhumane.

Lawyers say vague abortion laws are making doctors and hospitals fearful of prosecution.

Lawmakers should have foreseen that the push to establish so-called “fetal personhood,” which holds that a fetus has legal rights, including the right to life, would inevitably create a conflict between the rights of the mother and the unborn child.



Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr

Some Georgia conservatives argue that the law is being misconstrued. Last week, Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, said the law does not require doctors to keep brain-dead patients alive. He said turning off life support is not an act intended to end a pregnancy.

But others disagree, saying the hospital chose the humane route.

"We can't know Adriana's opinion, but her son's life still matters. The doctors are doing the right thing by treating him as a unique patient," said Students for Life of America, a national anti-abortion group that has launched a fundraising campaign for the Smith family.

State Sen. Ed Setzler agrees: "I believe there is a valuable human life that we can save. And I think it's right to do that. To deny that is to deny the child's humanness."



In 2014, Marlise Munoz's husband got his pregnant wife taken off life support

This isn't the first time an American woman has been kept on life support because of her pregnancy. In 2014, Texas resident Marlise Munoz collapsed at 14 weeks pregnant.

At the hospital, her husband and parents were told that the woman had died of a pulmonary embolism. However, the medical staff refused to honor Marlise's earlier request not to keep her alive, citing state law.

Marliese's husband filed a lawsuit. During the proceedings, it was discovered that the fetus had serious pathologies due to oxygen starvation and development in a brain-dead body. The judge ruled in favor of the husband, and Marliese was disconnected from the system.

At the beginning of August, doctors will perform a cesarean section on Adriana Smith.