Woman Forced To Attend Zoom Court While In Labor Speaks Out, Alleges 'Obstetric Violence & Medical Racism'

A woman is speaking out after she was forced to attend a Zoom court hearing from her hospital bed — without legal representation — after refusing to undergo a cesarean.

Cherise Doyley is NOT letting her story be swept under the rug after having her bodily autonomy stripped inside the four walls of a Florida hospital. In September of 2024, the pregnant mother-of-three arrived at the University of Florida Health Hospital to deliver her fourth child. Being a professional doula, Cherise was quite aware of what to expect and had a birth plan, which detailed trying for a natural birth. Doctors, however, had a different plan as they informed her a C-section was necessary to avoid a uterine rupture.

For those who don’t know, a uterine rupture is “a serious complication where your uterus tears or breaks open” which can lead to abdominal pain, vaginal bleeding, and even fetal distress, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It’s more common in women who have undergone previous C-sections, but rare overall. The condition must be treated through surgery, and sometimes, a complete hysterectomy.

Per a ProPublica report, Cherise understood the risk to be less than two percent, so she advocated to move forward with a natural birth. The laboring mother reportedly argued that her previous C-sections left her with lasting complications, including a hemorrhage which landed her back in the hospital for an additional week, so she wanted to avoid it. She also argued that recovering from a C-section would make caring for her newborn and other three children more difficult.

Several hours after that, nurses entered Cherise’s room while she was still laboring and informed her she would need to appear in court over the disagreement. They placed a tablet in front of her to appear in the Zoom hearing, which was obtained by ProPublica, where she said:

“This is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen.”

According to the outlet, Cherise had no legal counsel during the hearing, where several doctors, lawyers, hospital staff, and Judge Michael Kalil awaited the laboring mother. Judge Kalil went on to inform Cherise that the hospital had requested the state to file an emergency petition to grant the C-section. Multiple doctors testified about their concerns for her unborn child’s safety, while Cherise testified on her own behalf that her personal wellbeing was not being taken into consideration:

“I still have rights as an American citizen and as a patient that I am allowed to decide what goes on with me and my body and my baby. If it’s between them choosing whether I have to live or the baby has to live, I did tell them that I want to live. I have other children out here in the world that need me. And that is my right because at the end of the day, if I die from a C-section, nobody on this call is going to take care of my children.”

She, of course, expressed care for her unborn child, but believed her case did not necessitate an C-section:

“They’re going to tie me up and go give me a C-section against my will?”

After THREE HOURS of back-and-forth, Judge Kalil did not end up ordering an immediate C-section, but ruled the hospital could perform one should an actual emergency arise. In the following hours, hospital staff reported that Cherise’s baby’s heart rate was dropping, so doctors ended up performing the C-section after all. Per ProPublica, Cherise gave birth to daughter Arewa, now 1 and a half, who was taken to the NICU.

Fast forward to present day, Cherise still feels violated by the hospital. She told ProPublica:

“When we use the courts to basically strong-arm, bully someone into an unnecessary medical procedure against their will, it’s akin to torture, in my eyes.”

In a TikTok on her personal account over the weekend, Cherise went on to explain why cases like hers are such a “slippery slope.”

“This is more than just a sad, traumatic birth story. This is more than a misunderstanding and a miscommunication with a patient and a provider. This is documented, obstetric violence and medical racism right in front of you. Bodily autonomy does not go out the window when you get pregnant. The right as a patient to make informed choices and even informed refusals does not go out the window because you are pregnant.”

She added:

“This is about whether it is okay to take a mentally competent, grown adult woman, to court, to force them to have a major surgery against their will.”

Cherise went on to site the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in claiming her treatment was “unethical.”

“We’re not even going to get into the legal side, the constitutional, and human, and civil rights violations that occurred. This is not okay, this is never okay. All the people saying they need more context, no you don’t. Either you believe in bodily autonomy for women or you don’t. Either you believe that women have the right to choose or you do not. Either you believe that women have rights, or you don’t.”

The mother-of-four continued:

“We need to understand the implications of something like this. Right? Because it starts here with court ordered c-sections. Next, are they going to be court ordering people to not be able to get on birth control? Are they going to be court ordering people to get pregnant? Even though you said you don’t want kids? ‘But the birth rate is low.’ You need to understand the slippery slope that we are on when stuff like this happens. And the sad part is it’s happening all over the country.”

She went on to cite two similar cases with Brianna Bennett and Laura Pemberton, the latter of which who denied a C-section in the ’90s and left the hospital, only to be “drug her out of her house” by the sheriff’s department, in Cherise’s words, and brought back to the hospital. She concluded:

“So I need y’all to understand the implications of this, and how far people are going to get what they want. It’s not okay. Period.”

@hoodoodoulacherise

Hey Yall, it’s Cherise Doyley here just stopping by to remind you that Court Ordered C Sections are obstetric vi0lence. period. Hope this helps. #informedconsent #bodilyautonomy #womensrightsmatter #mybodymychoice #blackmaternalhealth

♬ original sound – Doula Cherise Gordon-Doyley