Funeral held for brain-dead woman kept alive due to Georgia abortion law

The funeral for the Georgia woman who was brain-dead but kept alive by ventilators because of the state’s abortion law was held Saturday in an Atlanta suburb, NBC affiliate WXIA of Atlanta reported.

The funeral of Adriana Smith took place at Fairfield Baptist Church in Lithonia, WXIA reported, and drew a crowd that included a number of Smith’s fellow nurses and other members of the public.

Smith, who turned 31 in June, was declared brain-dead in February after a CT scan found multiple blood clots in her brain, her mother, April Newkirk, told WXIA earlier this year.

She was nine weeks pregnant when her boyfriend rushed her to the hospital after he woke up to find her gasping for air and making what he described as gargling noises, Newkirk told WXIA.

Because of Georgia’s strict abortion law — known as the LIFE Act, which makes abortion illegal after six weeks of pregnancy — Smith was kept alive until her child could be born and survive on his own, according to WXIA.

The baby was born prematurely on June 13, weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces, Newkirk told WXIA at the time.

WXIA reported Saturday that Smith was taken off life support days after her son, Chance, was born. The baby is still in the neonatal intensive care unit.

“He’s expected to be OK,” Newkirk told the station earlier this month. “He’s just fighting.”

Smith also has an older son, Chase.

Smith’s funeral Saturday drew family, friends, community members and peers who wanted to honor her life.

The Atlanta Metropolitan Nursing Honor Guard performed a tribute to relieve Smith of her duties as a nurse, WXIA reported, and many who attended the funeral carried white roses.

“I’m thankful for everything that she’s taught me — her love, her kindness, her wisdom,” Smith’s younger sister, Naya, said, according to WXIA. “Family meant everything to her. So I hope that I can follow in her footsteps.”