Cherise Doyley, an African American woman from Florida, was forced to connect to a virtual courtroom and speak with a judge from her hospital bed while in active labor amid a dispute with doctors over a C-section. The emergency hearing centered on whether medical staff could proceed despite her refusal as she neared delivery.
Doyley was 12 hours into labor at a hospital in Florida when staff brought in a tablet for a Zoom court hearing. Judges, doctors, and lawyers appeared on screen while she tried to follow the discussion through contractions.
“That was exactly when I found out that we were going to court,” Doyley told ABC News. “I was so afraid. I was confused. I did not know what was going on or what to expect.”
Doctors at the University of Florida Health Hospital in Jacksonville told the court she had three previous C-sections and faced serious risks if she continued labor. They pointed to the danger of uterine rupture and said the baby was already showing signs of distress.
Doyley said she understood the risks but refused another C-section unless it became an emergency. She said each past surgery had been a difficult recovery, and she wanted to avoid repeating it unless absolutely necessary.
Cherise Doyley
During the hearing, the state argued that the law required protection of the unborn child. A prosecutor said the court needed to consider the baby’s life alongside Doyley’s refusal of surgery.
The Florida court told Doyley she did not have a constitutional right to legal counsel in the emergency hearing. She asked repeatedly for representation and said she felt outnumbered and unable to properly defend her position.
“I have 20 white people against me,” Doyley said. “I have not had a chance to be able to consult my own legal representation, and I’m trying to understand how you are taking my rights away as a patient.”
The Fourth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida later ruled that labor could continue but allowed doctors to proceed with a C-section if an emergency developed. The hospital declined to comment, citing patient privacy laws, while the state attorney’s office said it only presented facts for the court’s decision.
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows Black women in the United States report higher levels of discrimination in maternity care and face higher maternal death rates than white women, regardless of income or education.
Hours later, doctors performed an emergency C-section after the baby’s heart rate dropped for several minutes. Doyley’s daughter was born healthy, but she said the experience left a lasting impact.
“This was the most dehumanizing, scary experience, traumatic experience I’ve ever been in, in my life,” Doyley said.
SOURCE: blacknews.com