[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 522 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 522
Recognizing that Adriana Smith and her family's prolonged ordeal
without their consent is the direct result of the Black maternal health
crisis, the danger of laws that give rights to fetuses and take them
away from pregnant people, and anti-abortion laws that continue to harm
people who can become pregnant.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 17, 2025
Ms. Williams of Georgia (for herself, Ms. Jacobs, and Ms. Pressley)
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee
on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the
Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker,
in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing that Adriana Smith and her family's prolonged ordeal
without their consent is the direct result of the Black maternal health
crisis, the danger of laws that give rights to fetuses and take them
away from pregnant people, and anti-abortion laws that continue to harm
people who can become pregnant.
Whereas, in early February 2025, Adriana Smith, a nurse and mother, sought
medical treatment from Northside Hospital in Atlanta when she first felt
symptoms including extreme headache, but was not given a full
neurological workup;
Whereas Adriana Smith returned to the hospital the next morning for further
treatment as her symptoms deteriorated rapidly overnight;
Whereas, on February 19th, 2025, at only 9 weeks pregnant, Adriana Smith was
declared brain dead, and doctors began to preserve her bodily functions
via ventilator at Emory University Midtown Hospital without consulting
Adriana's family;
Whereas Adriana Smith's body may end up being kept on artificial support until
her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and the fetus can be delivered, meaning
her bodily functions will have been supported for more than 5 months;
Whereas Black women in the United States suffer from the highest rate of
maternal mortality, more than 3 times that of White women, due to
pervasive and systemic barriers to care, including a troublingly common
tendency for Black women's pain to be not given full consideration by
medical professionals;
Whereas laws giving rights to fetuses strip the rights of pregnant people and
their families to make decisions regarding their own healthcare, and
places their medical decisions in the hands of politicians;
Whereas sections 4206 and 4751 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990
(Public Law 101-508), commonly known as a the ``Patient Self-
Determination Act of 1990'', (104 Stat. 1388-115, 1388-204), affirms the
right to refuse medical care and formulate advance directives;
Whereas at least 29 States have laws that limit or prohibit the enforcement of
advance directives if the patient is pregnant, stripping pregnant people
of the fundamental right to determine what care they receive;
Whereas an individual's pregnancy status should not inhibit their fundamental
right to personal autonomy;
Whereas due to the Georgia Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act,
which went into effect in 2022, providing abortion care is a felony
crime in Georgia after fetal cardiac activity is detected with few
exceptions;
Whereas deliberately vague anti-abortion laws have the intended effect of
chilling the provision of medically necessary maternal healthcare,
putting at risk the well-being of pregnant people and their fetuses, and
worsening maternal health outcomes;
Whereas legal confusion and uncertainty, including fear of prosecution, lead to
situations like that occurring at Emory Hospital, where Adriana Smith's
body is being forcibly treated as a human incubator while her family
grieves;
Whereas the Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has said that ``there is nothing
in the LIFE Act that requires medical professionals to keep a woman on
life support after brain death,'' and that ``removing life support is
not an action with the purpose to terminate a pregnancy'', but has not
explicitly ruled out prosecutions nor issued a formal advisory legal
opinion;
Whereas anti-abortion laws and laws giving rights to fetuses deprive people who
can become pregnant of their autonomy by prioritizing the life of the
fetus over the health, medical decisions, and rights of the pregnant
person, a dehumanizing practice that violates their civil rights and
reinforces systemic control over their bodies; and
Whereas out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or mistreatment such
as Adriana Smith is experiencing, many pregnant people avoid healthcare
settings, even when they desire care, thus putting their health and the
health of their fetus at risk: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) stands with Adriana Smith's family in their efforts to
return dignity and justice to their family;
(2) condemns giving fetuses rights and taking them away
from pregnant people in our laws;
(3) condemns the troublingly common experience that Black
women face in medical settings of having their pain not given
full credence or treatment; and
(4) urges the government of States--
(A) to repeal State laws which ban or criminalize
abortion and abortion-related services;
(B) to repeal laws that exclude pregnant people
from having their advance directives come into effect;
(C) to clarify how anti-abortion laws giving rights
to fetuses should be interpreted in medical settings,
prioritizing the health and well-being of pregnant
patients; and
(D) to reaffirm and guarantee autonomy and dignity
to pregnant people over their life, well-being, and
medical needs.
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