April Newkirk confirmed that the baby Adriana Smith was carrying when she was declared brain dead was delivered via cesarean section at Emory Hospital on Friday.
The baby was named Chance. According to WXIA of Atlanta, Newkirk said that the baby weighed just one pound thirteen ounces and is being cared for in the neonatal unit.
The Challenges Associated With Low Birth Weight
According to the Journal of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, low birth weight “contributes to a spectrum of adverse outcomes throughout the life course.” These could include “stunted growth, infectious diseases, neurodevelopmental impairments, compromised cognitive function, and academic performance.” The challenges associated with low birth weight can appear in the short term or the long term.
Newkirk solicited prayers from the public for her new grandchild. “He’s expected to be OK,” she said. “He’s just fighting. We just want prayers for him. Just keep praying for him.”
Adriana Smith’s Need For Medical Attention Resulted in Her Being Declared Brain Dead
Smith was a 31-year-old nurse who sought medical attention for severe headaches and was sent home after visiting another hospital. No scans were done, and she awoke gasping for air due to blood clots in her brain the next day. She has been brain-dead and hospitalized since February.
Newkirk commented on Smith being removed from life support on Tuesday and eventually laid to rest. “It’s hard to process,” she said. “I’m her mother. I shouldn’t be burying my daughter. My daughter should be burying me.”
Adriana Smith’s Case Has Garnered National Attention
Her case has drawn national attention thanks to being impacted by Georgia’s stringent abortion ban. It has drawn questions about whether or not legislation can outweigh the wishes of a family in a medical crisis involving a pregnant person. Debates about what constitutes personhood have sprung from its place in the public discourse since Smith’s family first spoke out.
The state instituted a strict six-week ban, signed into law by Governor Brian Kemp. The Fulton County Superior Court overturned it at first. The overturning of Roe v. Wade allowed the ban to be enforced in the state. It has been a major source of controversy. Newkirk and the rest of Smith’s family were left with no control over whether or not Smith could be removed from life support since she was carrying a fetus.
Now the Focus is On Chance’s Survival
On Monday, in an interview with 11 Alive, Newkirk clarified the family’s intention to care for the child. “Right now, the journey is for baby Chance to survive,” Newkirk said. “Whatever condition God allows him to come here in, we’re going to love him just the same.”
Newkirk was warned about the potential health issues that her grandson might face. “He may be blind, may not be able to walk, may not be able to survive once he’s born,” Newkirk added. “This decision should’ve been left to us. Now we’re left wondering what kind of life he’ll have, and we’re going to be the ones raising him.”
Previously, Newkirk expressed discontent at the lack of say the family had concerning Smith’s body. “It should have been left up to the family,” she said. “I’m not saying that we would have chosen to terminate her pregnancy, but what I’m saying is, we should have had a choice.” The family also claims to have incurred the financial liability of keeping Smith technically alive.
She doubled down on her belief that the family should have been consulted about their wishes.
“We didn’t have a choice or a say about it,” Newkirk said before Chance’s delivery. “We want the baby. That’s a part of my daughter. But the decision should have been left to us, not the state.
Resources
Journal of BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
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