Outrage and Heartbreak for the Dehumanization of Adriana Smith
ATLANTA, GA — Access Reproductive Care-Southeast (ARC-Southeast) is outraged by the tragic and dehumanizing treatment of Adriana Smith and her family. When Adriana, a 30-year-old Black nurse, sought treatment for severe headaches at Northside Hospital in February, medical staff dismissed her concerns without performing diagnostic tests or scans, despite her medical expertise and being nine weeks pregnant. This dismissal of yet another Black woman’s pain had catastrophic consequences: A day later, Adriana’s partner found her gasping for air, and after rushing her to the hospital, scans at Emory University Hospital revealed multiple blood clots in her brain.
Adriana was sadly declared medically brain dead soon after, remaining on life support for over 90 days so far.
Adriana’s pain was ignored and her autonomy denied, and now her family is left in limbo and needlessly placed in an extreme and difficult position. While many questions remain about the situation, what’s obvious is that Georgia’s web of anti-abortion laws strike fear and confusion in medical staff, causing delays or denials in care that can prove tragic for all pregnant people. They force medical professionals, fearing prosecution, to prioritize legal protection over compassionate care.
“A patient’s concerns were dismissed, and a future was decided for her—not with her nor with her family, because laws and fear stripped away their voice,” said Inyang Njoku, Registered Nurse and ARC-Southeast Director of Caller Services. “The loss of control over a loved one’s care is nothing short of devastating. This isn’t just about policy, and what has happened here should leave everyone everywhere uneasy — medical staff, lawmakers, community members and people of conscience, how can you sleep at night?”
This tragic case exposes a fundamental flaw in Georgia’s approach to reproductive healthcare.Pregnancy and abortion are deeply complex, personal medical situations that cannot be governed by rigid, ‘one-size-fits-all’ colonial laws. These sweeping mandates corner families into impossible situations, and create harsh contradictions that leave medical professionals choosing between following their ethical obligations and Hippocratic oath, or complying with laws that disregard our humanity. Meanwhile, Adriana’s family bears the immense emotional, mental, and financial trauma of this devastating situation.
This is a moment for staff and leadership throughout the Emory hospital and university system, whom ARC-Southeast has partnered with through The Center for Reproductive Health Research in the Southeast, to evaluate the network’s broader pattern of dehumanization, which exemplifies broader issues within Georgia’s hospitals. This includes instances such as the expulsion of Palestinian student Umaymah Muhammad for questioning IDF soldiers working in Emory hospitals; Emory University Hospital Midtown ‘losing’ part of a Black male patient’s skull last year; and the firing of nurses for reporting racial discrimination. These are not isolated incidents but manifestations of larger, systemic issues across the entire medical-industrial complex that Black, poor, and other marginalized communities in the South face every day, and we need staff at all hospitals to examine how they can immediately address such issues within their power.
“Adriana Smith now joins Amber Thurman, Candi Miller, and countless others whose names we may never know, but must uplift in our work towards liberation,” said Alexia Rice-Henry, ARC-Southeast Co-Executive Director. “These lives were unnecessarily endangered or lost because Georgia lawmakers believe they know better than pregnant people, their families, and their healthcare providers about deeply personal medical decisions, and we are witnessing the chilling ripple effect of consequences.”
As Georgia’s only abortion fund, we know that the reality paints a stark picture: hundreds of Georgians are forced to leave the state annually to access essential reproductive healthcare, with many not even knowing that they can receive abortion care at home within 6 weeks of pregnancy, the maximum time folks have before they can get an abortion due to Georgia’s devastating ban. Countless more face undignified and often unsafe care inside their home state due to problems such as medical racism and care deserts, with the alarming amount of fake clinics across the state known as “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” compounding the problems. ARC-Southeast’s direct experience confirms this reality, as the majority of our calls for assistance we received throughout 2024 and continuing into 2025 have come from Georgians desperate for the care their state deliberately denies them. Behind each of these calls is a person, a story, and perhaps a family, with a unique situation that Georgia’s laws refuse to acknowledge.
ARC-Southeast stands with the family of Adriana Smith in fierce solidarity, radical love, and support of their decisions, and all others who are caught in the cruel set of Georgia’s repressive restrictions. We remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring all people have access to the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare they deserve as a fundamental human right, and will not stop fighting until these unjust laws are overturned—until no one else has to suffer.
For pregnant Georgians seeking information about their options despite these restrictions, resources are available at tinyurl.com/pregnantinGA.
To join the fight to restore reproductive freedom in Georgia and support efforts to repeal these harmful and dehumanizing laws, visit tinyurl.com/RFAaction.
About Access Reproductive Care-Southeast (ARC-Southeast): ARC-Southeast is the only abortion fund based in Georgia, providing funding and logistical support to ensure Southerners receive safe and compassionate reproductive care, including abortion services. Through education, mutual aid, and leadership development, we build power in communities of color to abolish stigma and restore dignity, justice, and the human right to access abortion care.