IV 
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) sub-
mitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judici-
ary, 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 includ-
ing extreme headache, but was not given a full neuro-
logical workup; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:00 Jun 17, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR522.IH
HR522
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 522 IH 
Whereas Adriana Smith returned to the hospital the next 
morning for further treatment as her symptoms deterio-
rated rapidly overnight; 
Whereas, on February 19th, 2025, at only 9 weeks pregnant, 
Adriana Smith was declared brain dead, and doctors 
began to preserve her bodily functions via ventilator at 
Emory University Midtown Hospital without consulting 
Adriana’s family; 
Whereas Adriana Smith’s body may end up being kept on ar-
tificial support until her pregnancy reaches 32 weeks and 
the fetus can be delivered, meaning her bodily functions 
will have been supported for more than 5 months; 
Whereas Black women in the United States suffer from the 
highest rate of maternal mortality, more than 3 times 
that of White women, due to pervasive and systemic bar-
riers to care, including a troublingly common tendency 
for Black women’s pain to be not given full consideration 
by medical professionals; 
Whereas laws giving rights to fetuses strip the rights of preg-
nant people and their families to make decisions regard-
ing their own healthcare, and places their medical deci-
sions in the hands of politicians; 
Whereas sections 4206 and 4751 of the Omnibus Budget 
Reconciliation Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–508), com-
monly known as a the ‘‘Patient Self-Determination Act of 
1990’’, (104 Stat. 1388–115, 1388–204), affirms the 
right to refuse medical care and formulate advance direc-
tives; 
Whereas at least 29 States have laws that limit or prohibit 
the enforcement of advance directives if the patient is 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:54 Jun 17, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR522.IH
HR522
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 522 IH 
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 in-
tended effect of chilling the provision of medically nec-
essary maternal healthcare, putting at risk the well-being 
of pregnant people and their fetuses, and worsening ma-
ternal 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 auton-
omy 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 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:00 Jun 17, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR522.IH
HR522
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 522 IH 
Whereas out of fear of criminalization, family separation, or 
mistreatment such as Adriana Smith is experiencing, 
many pregnant people avoid healthcare settings, even 
when they desire care, thus putting their health and the 
health of their fetus at risk: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) stands with Adriana Smith’s family in their 
efforts to return dignity and justice to their family; 
(2) condemns giving fetuses rights and taking 
them away from pregnant people in our laws; 
(3) condemns the troublingly common experi-
ence that Black women face in medical settings of 
having their pain not given full credence or treat-
ment; and 
(4) urges the government of States— 
(A) to repeal State laws which ban or 
criminalize abortion and abortion-related serv-
ices; 
(B) to repeal laws that exclude pregnant 
people from having their advance directives 
come into effect; 
(C) to clarify how anti-abortion laws giving 
rights to fetuses should be interpreted in med-
ical settings, prioritizing the health and well- 
being of pregnant patients; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
22:54 Jun 17, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR522.IH
HR522
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB
•HRES 522 IH 
(D) to reaffirm and guarantee autonomy 
and dignity to pregnant people over their life, 
well-being, and medical needs. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
21:00 Jun 17, 2025
Jkt 059200
PO 00000
Frm 00005
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR522.IH
HR522
kjohnson on DSK7ZCZBW3PROD with $$_JOB