119-hres522

[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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