Videos of a pregnant Indiana woman in visible pain after being turned away from the hospital have gone viral online, triggering outrage across social media.
Mercedes Wells, 38, was discharged from Franciscan Health Crown Point Hospital and told to come back when her labor progressed, but just eight minutes later, she ended up being forced to give birth on the side of the highway.
According to a Facebook post shared by her sister-in-law, Cherise Thompson, Wells said she was asked to leave the hospital because a nurse didn’t believe she was in active labor, even though her contractions were only a minute apart.
Several videos have since gone viral showing the woman being discharged from the hospital while she was in labor, as well as clips from after she gave birth in her truck.
“I begged to STAY while still upstairs in labor and delivery triage. Cried out to the entire nurses station,” Wells recalled, adding that she “was treated SO poorly and inhumane” she “still can’t believe it.”
“Not 1 oz of empathy by none of the nursing staff! Just blank stares and cold words like ‘sorry Dr orders you are to be discharged.”
After her roadside birth, Wells eventually made it to Munster Community Hospital, where she was cared for post birth, according to Chicago ABC affiliate WLS.
The family says they have since hired a lawyer, alleging they faced unfair treatment because they are Black.
“I want there to be some sort of change so that other families don’t have to experience this,” Thompson told the station.
Raymond Grady, the CEO of Franciscan Health Crown Point, released a statement, vowing to investigate the “deeply troubling” incident.
“We are aware of the video and the concerns expressed on social media regarding the discharge of a pregnant patient from Franciscan Health Crown Point,” Grady said. “We are grateful to learn from online and media reports that both mother and child are reportedly doing well.”
The incident with Wells comes just days after another viral video circulated online showing a Texas mother in agony as a hospital delayed her care just minutes before she gave birth.
The viral clip shows Karrie Jones in excruciating pain as she waits to be admitted for labor at Dallas Regional Medical Center.
In the video shared by her mother, Kash, Jones can be seen screaming in a wheelchair while a nurse asks her admission questions. According to Kash, she was left waiting for “more than 30 minutes” before delivering her baby just “12 minutes later.”
@kashman2814 deathly charge nurse! donot care bout black women and babies uncaring paperwork over life this baby had to have severe test in the 24h of birth do to her actions
While in the waiting room, Jones screamed that the baby was “in her a–,” causing her mother to confront the nurse asking, “Do you treat all patients this way — or just Black patients?’”
Dallas Regional Medical Center also released a statement about the incident, saying that “due to patient privacy laws, we cannot share further details at this time, but our focus remains on ensuring that every patient receives the attentive, respectful care they deserve.”
In a follow-up video, Kash urged people not to go that hospital, adding that “they do not care about Black women or their babies.”