Black Mothers In Texas and Indiana Being Ignored During Labor Sparks Conversation and Insight Towards Black Women in Healthcare
Two women in two different states say they pleaded for medical help while in active labor and were ignored, sparking national outrage and renewed scrutiny over how hospitals treat women during childbirth. Their cases — one in Texas, the other in Indiana — have now gone viral, amplifying long-standing concerns about maternal care disparities and the stark risks Black women face.
The first incident unfolded at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite, where a TikTok video shows Texas resident Karrie Jones screaming in pain in a wheelchair while a nurse continues asking routine intake questions, including her due date. “Right now,” Jones shouts as she writhes in agony. Her mother, who recorded the video on Nov. 11, asks the nurse whether she treats all patients like this “or just the Black ones.” The nurse doesn’t respond.
Jones’ family says they begged staff to move her into labor and delivery, but were told paperwork had to be completed first. They say they waited more than 30 minutes before Jones was finally admitted. Her mother has declined to comment further.
Less than a week later, a similar scene played out at Franciscan Health Crown Point in Indiana, where Mercedes Wells arrived with contractions 10 minutes apart. A mother of three already, Wells knew how quickly her fourth child could come. After six hours and a check by a nurse — but no doctor — she said she was discharged and escorted out by security.
“They didn’t give me a chance, give my husband a chance, to warm up the truck,” she said. Minutes later, as her husband Leon drove away, he looked down and saw their baby’s head crowning. He pulled over on the highway. Eight minutes after leaving the hospital, Wells gave birth in the car.
“It was really a horrific situation to be treated like a dog, or not even like a dog, like less than,” she said. “It says that they don’t care at all for Black women in health, and it’s hurtful.”
The trauma didn’t end there. Days after the video of Wells being escorted out went viral, Franciscan Health Crown Point confirmed that the doctor and nurse responsible for her care were no longer employed. President and CEO Raymond Grady said the staff “failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns,” adding that the incident “does not reflect the values of Franciscan Health Crown Point, which include respect for life and compassionate concern.”
“Compassionate concern is absent when a caregiver fails to listen to a patient who is clearly in pain and vulnerable,” Grady said. “We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells.”
Grady said he has mandated cultural competency training for all labor and delivery staff, and that every pregnant patient leaving the unit must now be examined by a physician before discharge. “On behalf of Franciscan Alliance and Franciscan Health Crown Point, I apologize to Mrs. Wells and her family,” he added. “Any evidence of actions to the contrary will not be tolerated.”
Wells later told CBS News Chicago she was met with “stern faces” when she arrived. “No welcoming faces as I usually would get when I go to a hospital, or a place of care,” she said. Despite being in “excruciating pain,” the admissions nurse told her she wasn’t far enough along to be admitted.
She received care only after giving birth on the roadside, at Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana. Her family has since retained an attorney, alleging they were mistreated because they are Black.
Dallas Regional Medical Center issued a statement saying it prioritizes “the safety, dignity, and well-being” of all patients and is reviewing what happened.
The incidents have reignited concern about maternal mortality disparities nationwide. Black women in the United States die from childbirth at three times the rate of white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black infants are also more likely to die or be born prematurely.
“That’s one of the starkest disparities in all of medicine,” said Dr. Joel Bervell, a physician who discussed the videos publicly. “Delayed care — exactly what we saw in the videos — is one of the biggest contributors.”
Federal law requires hospitals to stabilize patients who appear to be in active labor, but determining what qualifies as “active labor” is subjective, said legal analyst Angela Cenedella. If a staff member decides labor is not imminent, a patient may be legally discharged. If that judgment is negligent, hospitals can face liability.
Texas lawmakers say they are already meeting with hospital administrators about Jones’ treatment. State Rep. Linda Garcia said she will continue monitoring the investigation to ensure “fair and appropriate medical care.”
For Wells, the moment remains raw. She said she watched the Texas TikTok from her own labor and delivery room days before her ordeal. “I didn’t think that it was about to happen to me,” she said. “It shouldn’t happen to any woman. Race, ethnicity — none of that should matter. This should not happen to people.”
