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Brain-Dead Mom's Baby Saved in Legal Miracle
19 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Infant born to brain-dead mother delivered via C-section.
- Father awarded sole legal and physical custody of son.
- Georgia law initially challenged unmarried father's rights.
A Georgia father has been granted sole legal and physical custody of his infant son, Baby Chance, in a groundbreaking court decision. The child's mother, Adriana Smith, a nurse, was declared brain dead on February 19, 2025, after suffering a medical emergency nine weeks into her pregnancy.
Despite the tragic circumstances, medical professionals sustained the pregnancy, and Baby Chance was delivered via emergency C-section on June 13, 2025. Sadly, Smith passed away four days later after being removed from life support. Her partner, Adrian Harden, then faced the challenge of establishing his parental rights under Georgia law, which does not automatically grant rights to unmarried fathers.
An emergency petition for custody was filed in August 2025. Following temporary custody awarded in early September, Judge Latisha Dear-Jackson issued a final order on December 2, 2025, awarding Harden full legal and physical custody. This case underscores the need for updated family laws to better support unmarried parents.
