Baby Boy Born to Brain-Dead Mom in Georgia

A legally dead Georgia woman just gave birth. Adriana Smith, a mother and nurse, was in the early stages of pregnancy when she suffered a medical emergency linked to blood clots in her brain and was declared brain-dead in February. Her family had no choice but to see her remain on life support in compliance with the state's abortion law, which bans abortion after cardiac activity is detected. The fetus showed signs of health issues well before Friday, when a baby boy was delivered prematurely by emergency Cesarean section at Emory University Hospital, weighing just 1 pound, 13 ounces, per WXIA.

"He's expected to be OK," Smith's mother, April Newkirk, tells the outlet of the boy named Chance. "He's just fighting," she says, requesting prayers as she prepares to say goodbye to her daughter, who will be taken off life support on Tuesday. It's another difficult moment for Newkirk, who previously told WXIA that she believes the family "should have had a choice" in medical decisions involving Smith. The family honored Smith's 31st birthday on Sunday. Among those to attend the event was a representative of Rep. Nikema Williams, who plans to introduce a resolution calling for clarification on how Georgia's abortion laws should be interpreted in medical settings in honor of Smith, per Atlanta News First. (More Georgia stories.)