A Florida woman in active labor was required to participate in a virtual court hearing from her hospital bed after she refused to consent to a cesarean section, according to a report detailing the extraordinary incident.
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Cherise Doyley, a Jacksonville-based mother of three and professional doula, arrived at a University of Florida Health hospital in September 2024 intending to deliver her baby vaginally. Medical staff, however, strongly recommended a C-section due to concerns about potential complications, including uterine rupture, which can pose serious risks to both mother and child.
Per ProPublica, Doyley declined the procedure, citing her previous difficult recoveries from cesarean deliveries and her desire to attempt a natural birth. She also expressed concern about caring for her children while recovering from surgery.
Hours into her labor, hospital staff escalated the situation by initiating legal action. Nurses brought a tablet to Doyley’s bedside and informed her that she would appear in a virtual courtroom hearing to address her refusal. The hearing included a judge, doctors, lawyers and hospital representatives, while Doyley appeared without legal counsel.
Cherise Doyley Didn’t Want To Risk Her Life In A C-Section For Her Other Children
During the proceedings, doctors argued that a vaginal birth after prior C-sections increased the risk of uterine rupture, a rare but potentially life-threatening emergency. Doyley countered that she understood the risks and wanted to proceed with her birth plan, emphasizing her right to make decisions about her own body and medical care.
“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,” she said. “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.”
After several hours of testimony, the judge did not order an immediate cesarean section. However, he ruled that doctors could proceed with the surgery without Doyley’s consent if an emergency arose during labor.
Later that night, medical staff detected signs of fetal distress and performed a C-section. Doyley gave birth to a baby girl. Doctors subsequently admitted her to the neonatal intensive care unit.
Doyley later criticised the experience, describing it as coercive and deeply distressing.