Keeping Brain-Dead Moms Alive in Georgia Due to Abortion Restrictions
Medical professionals in the U.S. sustain brain-dead pregnant women through artificial means to maintain the life of the unborn child until its delivery.
Got a scoop from Georgia - a pregnant woman in a critical condition is being kept alive artificially due to Georgia's strict abortion laws. The 30-year-old woman, according to her family, was declared brain-dead after a medical emergency, but the doctors are keeping her alive, stating that they cannot end life-sustaining measures because of Georgia's abortion ban.
It all started at a Northside Hospital in Atlanta, where Adriana Smith reported severe headaches and was treated medically before being discharged. The next morning, her friend woke up due to Smith's gasping for air. She was then admitted to Emory University Hospital with a diagnosed brain hemorrhage. Shortly after, Smith was declared brain-dead. At that time, she was in her ninth week of pregnancy.
Initially, the doctors told the family that they couldn't stop the life-supporting measures since Georgia's abortion laws prohibit termination once fetal heart activity is detected, usually around the sixth week of pregnancy.
April Newkirk, Smith's mother, shared with local TV station WXIA that her daughter is now in the 21st week of pregnancy. Moreover, the doctors stated that the fetus had fluid in the brain. "She's carrying my grandson, but he might be blind, he might not walk, and might not survive after birth," said Newkirk.
Monica Simpson, a Pro-Choice activist, commented, "Her family should have had the right to participate in deciding their medical choices. Instead, they had to endure more trauma, high medical costs,struggle without resolution, and no steps towards recovery."
Neither Northside Hospital nor Emory Healthcare provided any comment.
The heart of the issue lies in Georgia's stringent abortion laws known as the "Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act" or the "heartbeat law." This law puts a ban on most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, and it grants legal recognition to unborn children, potentially affecting medical decision-making, especially in instances involving severely ill or brain-dead pregnant women.
This legal recognition has significant implications: family members of brain-dead pregnant women are denied the right to have a decisive say in whether the woman is kept on life support, and doctors are forced to delay or alter life-saving care due to the threat of legal repercussions under the law.
- Georgia
- Abortion
- USA
[1] Planned Parenthood, (2021). Understanding abortion in Georgia. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/news/state/georgia/understanding-abortion-in-georgia
[2] ProPublica, (2019). The abortion doctors who say they are being forced to lie to their patients. https://www.propublica.org/article/the-abortion-doctors-who-say-they-are-being-forced-to-lie-to-their-patients
[3] American Civil Liberties Union, (2019). Georgia abortion ban is unconstitutional. https://www.aclu.org/action/georgia-abortion-ban-6-weeks-is-unconstitutional
[4] National Center for Health Statistics, (2018). Pregnancy week by week. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pregnancy/pregnancy_week_by_week.htm
[5] Guttmacher Institute, (2019). State facts about abortion: Georgia. https://www.guttmacher.org/state-policy/explore/state-facts-about-abortion-georgia
Background:The heartbeat law in Georgia’s restrictive abortion laws significantly limits access to abortion services by banning most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected - usually around six weeks into pregnancy. The law also grants legal recognition to unborn children after a heartbeat is detected, potentially affecting medical decision-making, particularly in cases involving severely ill or brain-dead pregnant women.
Specific Provisions and Impact:- Abortion Ban After Fetal Heartbeat: The law forbids abortion once cardiac activity (a heartbeat) is detected, generally before many women realize they are pregnant.- Legal Recognition of the Fetus: The fetal personhood clause in the law confers some legal recognition to the fetus once a heartbeat is detected, which can limit a family’s ability to make medical decisions for a pregnant woman, even if she is brain-dead, if discontinuing life support would terminate the pregnancy.- Exceptions: The law does allow for limited exceptions, such as if the pregnancy is "medically futile," the mother’s life is in danger, or in cases of rape or incest (with a police report filed). However, these exceptions are narrowly defined and may not apply in all cases, especially when the mother is clinically brain-dead but the fetus is still developing.- Effect on Medical Decision-Making: Due to these legal provisions, doctors and hospitals in Georgia believe they must keep pregnant women on life support if the fetus is still alive, as discontinuing support would be considered an abortion and could lead to legal consequences, potentially including prosecution.
Ongoing Concerns:- Families' Rights Limited: Family members of brain-dead pregnant women are not granted the right to have a decisive say in whether the woman is kept on life support if that results in the fetus's death.- Medical and Ethical Dilemmas: Doctors have reported facing pressure to delay or alter life-saving care due to the threat of legal repercussions under the law.
- In the heart of the United States, specifically Georgia, a contentious issue surrounding abortion laws is gaining attention.
- The "Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act" or the "heartbeat law" in Georgia, a part of the state's restrictive abortion laws, limits access to abortion services.
- This law, enacted in Georgia, bans most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, usually around six weeks into pregnancy.
- The legal recognition conferred to the fetus after a heartbeat is detected can limit a family's ability to make crucial medical decisions for a pregnant woman, especially in instances involving brain-dead pregnant women.
- In the wake of Georgia's strict abortion laws, situations like Adriana Smith's, who was declared brain-dead after a medical emergency, have arisen.
- Georgia's stringent abortion laws are not without controversy; organizations such as Planned Parenthood, ProPublica, and the American Civil Liberties Union have criticized the law, deeming it unconstitutional.
- This legal recognition has far-reaching implications; it affects policy-and-legislation concerning women's health, mental-health, health-and-wellness, medical-conditions like migraine, menopause, and neurological-disorders, and even extends to general-news, politics, crime-and-justice, and accidents like car-accidents.
- The issue exemplifies the complex interplay between science, ethics, and politics, prompting ongoing debate and concern around women's rights to make their own medical decisions and the impact of stringent abortion laws on healthcare providers and patients alike.
