- Georgia Again Scrapes Bottom of The Barrel in Women’s Health
- What is The Momnibus Act? A Closer Look at Bill That Could Improve Maternal Health Crisis
- Women’s Health Alert: Georgia Woman on Life Support After Being Ignored in Emergency Room
Doctors ignored a Georgia woman’s symptoms before she suffered a fatal brain injury. Now she’s been on life support for 90 days because of Georgia’s abortion law. Doctors plan to keep her on life support until her baby is born.
🚨 What Happened: 11Alive reported today that Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, went to Northside Hospital with severe headaches while nine weeks pregnant.
- Family members say doctors gave her medication but performed no tests before sending her home
- The next morning, she was found gasping for air and rushed to the hospital where scans revealed multiple brain clots
🏥 Why It Matters: Women in Georgia face some of the highest maternal death rates in the nation. This case is another illustration of how women’s health concerns are often dismissed by medical professionals, with potentially deadly consequences.
By The Numbers: Georgia’s maternal mortality rate — the number of women who die in childbirth or due to childbirth — is abysmal, as it is in the U.S. as a whole. Here’s a look at the stats.
- Overall Rate: Between 2018 and 2021, Georgia reported a maternal mortality rate of 33.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, placing it among the highest in the nation. Highest in this case is not a good thing. In 2023, the U.S. maternal mortality rate was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births. Worldwide, developed nations tend to have about 12 deaths per 100,000 live births, so it goes without saying that the U.S. has a problem.
- Racial Disparities: Black women in Georgia experienced significantly higher mortality rates, with 48.6 deaths per 100,000 live births from 2018 to 2020, compared to 22.7 for non-Hispanic white women.
- Timing of Deaths: A study analyzing 129 pregnancy-related deaths in Georgia found that 23.3% occurred during pregnancy, 48.8% within the first 60 days postpartum, 17.0% between 61 to 180 days postpartum, and 10.9% between 181 to 365 days postpartum.
Key Term: Postpartum is a term used to describe the time after a woman has a baby. This period usually lasts for about six weeks, but it can go on for longer. During the postpartum time, a mother’s body is healing from childbirth, and she might also be adjusting to taking care of her new baby.
💔 The Medical Dismissal: Smith’s mother, April Newkirk, told 11Alive she believes her daughter’s life could have been saved if doctors had taken her symptoms seriously, done more testing, and kept her overnight. Studies show that women’s pain and symptoms are frequently dismissed in medical settings.
A study published in The Journal of Pain found that observers tend to underestimate women’s pain compared to men’s, attributing women’s pain more often to psychological factors rather than physical causes.
⚖️ Legal Complications: Georgia’s heartbeat law has created a painful situation for Smith’s family.
- Smith has been declared brain dead but must remain on life support until the fetus reaches viability
- The family has no legal say in her medical care despite concerns about the baby’s health
- Doctors report the fetus has fluid on the brain, which could lead to brain damage or death.
Meanwhile, 11Alive reports that Smith’s young son still believes she is just sleeping.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
