What to Know
When I was pregnant, my biggest fear was having to undergo a c-section. I had never been hospitalized or had surgery, and that terrified me. And I had multiple friends who had c-sections. What they described was nothing short of horrifying. I couldn’t fathom being literally cut open, but then having to care for a newborn immediately after. And I certainly can’t fathom being forced to undergo a c-section against my wishes. But mom and doula Cherise Doyley experienced just that.
Doyley became the face of medical bullying.
@pagingdrfran florida, you okay girl? taking a laboring patient to court to make her undergo a medical procedure she didn’t consent to is insane, and sets a very dangerous precedent
♬ original sound – Paging Dr. Fran
A video of Cherise Doyley on a Zoom call with doctors, lawyers and a judge from 2024 has been making the rounds on social media recently. In the video, Doyley is obviously in a hospital bed, going through labor.
As she’s navigating her labor, she was being forced to defend her choice to have a vaginal birth after cesarean (VBAC) despite having several c-sections before. She understood the risks, she explained, but she was willing to take them to avoid yet another major surgery.
She spoke out recently on TikTok.
@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
After the video began to go viral, Doyley took to the app to set the record straight about what people may have misunderstood.
“This is more than just a sad, traumatic birth story,” Doyley started. “This is more than just a miscommunication or misunderstanding with a patient and a provider.” She goes on to call what happened “documented obstetric violence and medical racism.”
“Bodily autonomy does not go out the window when you get pregnant,” she reminded. “The right as a patient to make informed choices or informed refusals does not go out the window because you are pregnant.”
She makes it clear that what happened to her wasn’t about belief in VBACs or other personally held feelings on birth choices. “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.”
As she said, people need to understand what the implications of this case will be.
Commenters were quick to take Doyley’s side, pointing out all of the ways what happened to her was wrong.
“Weird. I’ve never heard of court-ordered vasectomies,” one commenter wrote.
“Mind you, if it was an EMERGENCY, they wouldn’t have had the time to convene a whole court hearing!!!!” someone else added.
“If it was an emergency how was their time for a court hearing GIVE ME A BREAK. I’m sorry you went through this,” another comment read.
“A COURT ORDERED C SECTION SHOULDN’T EVEN BE A CONCEPT THAT A PERSON EVER HAS TO THINK ABOUT HAPPENING! Im so sorry that this is something you had to go through, but i applaud your ability to advocate for yourself during that time,” someone wrote.
What happened to Cherise Doyley may seem extreme, but it sets a dangerous precedent.
“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,” Doyley told ProPublica, the outlet who broke the story about her court case.
According to the ProPublica report, Doyley spent two hours of active labor on a Zoom call with a judge and nearly a dozen doctors and lawyers.
Despite Doyley articulating that she understood the risks of laboring with the intention of having a vaginal delivery, doctors still argued that she was failing her unborn child by refusing a c-section. As a result, a labor deadline was created. If she didn’t give birth by 6 a.m., she would have to have a c-section. But still, she wondered how that would happen.
“They’re going to tie me up and go give me a C-section against my will?” she asked.
And while she wasn’t tied up, the judge ruled doctors could make her have an emergency c-section without her consent, which is ultimately what happened. Even though she had been bullied, Doyley maintained an admirable amount of composure.
“I appreciate you spending two hours on a Sunday going through my medical history and fighting for my vagina and my baby,” she told the judge.
