The worst happens - a happy pregnancy turns into a nightmare when untreated severe headaches result in catastrophic brain clots that result in being declared legally brain dead. When a Georgia hospital decides to keep the pregnant woman on life support for a further 23 weeks in order to deliver the child with a chance of survival the story quickly becomes a political volleyball between the political left and right. What is left out of the conversation (as always) is the gender and race bias at the heart of this case.

Key words: abortion laws, women's rights, Adriana Smith, racism in medicine

Articles and resources

Smith, A. & Bero, T., 2025. The tragedy of Georgia’s Adriana Smith is the price of a cruel anti-abortion agenda. The Guardian, [online] 24 May. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/may/24/adriana-smith-georgia-tayo-bero [Accessed 13 May 2025].

Anonymous, 2025. Georgia woman brain dead but forced to carry pregnancy. USA Today, [online] 25 May. Available at: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/opinion/columnists/2025/05/25/georgia-woman-brain-dead-pregnant-adriana-smith/83751213007/ [Accessed 13 May 2025].

Bero, T., 2014. Dead Irish woman used as body incubator: Abortion law’s grim logic. The Guardian, [online] 19 December. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/dec/19/dead-irish-woman-body-incubator-abortion [Accessed 13 May 2025].

Eckholm, E., 2014. Pregnant and forced to stay on life support. The New York Times, [online] 7 January. Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/08/us/pregnant-and-forced-to-stay-on-life-support.html [Accessed 13 May 2025].