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babylonsister

(172,722 posts)
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 10:15 AM 2 hrs ago

They Didn't Want to Have C-Sections. A Judge Would Decide How They Gave Birth.


They Didn’t Want to Have C-Sections. A Judge Would Decide How They Gave Birth.
by Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, with photography by Sarahbeth Maney for ProPublica
March 14, 2026, 5:00 am


Unequal Rights: Pregnant women in some states have fewer rights than other mentally competent adults to refuse medical treatment, including surgery.

Constitutional Questions: The rise of fetal personhood policies has some legal experts worried about an increase in court-ordered medical care.

Florida Disparities: Florida has gone further than other states to guarantee medical freedom for those who decline vaccines, but it also has restricted the medical freedom of pregnant women.


These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.


On the afternoon of Sept. 9, 2024, Cherise Doyley was in her 12th hour of contractions at University of Florida Health in downtown Jacksonville when a nurse came in with a bedsheet and told her to cover up. A supervisor brought a tablet to Doyley’s bedside. Gathered on the screen were a judge in a black robe and several lawyers, doctors and hospital staff.

snip//

The hospital and state attorney’s office wanted to force Doyley to undergo a cesarean section. Doyley, a professional birthing doula, didn’t want that and had been firm about it. She’d had three prior C-sections, one that resulted in a hemorrhage, and hoped to avoid another serious complication and lengthy recovery. She was aware that doctors were concerned about the risk of uterine rupture, a potentially deadly complication for her and her baby. She would say during the hearing that she understood the risk to be less than 2% and didn’t want to agree to a C-section unless there was an emergency.

But the choice would not be hers. The judge would decide how she would give birth.



more...

https://www.propublica.org/article/florida-court-ordered-c-sections
6 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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They Didn't Want to Have C-Sections. A Judge Would Decide How They Gave Birth. (Original Post) babylonsister 2 hrs ago OP
The Republican Taliban view women as state-owned breeding livestock... CousinIT 2 hrs ago #1
People have been treating pregnant people, and in particular those who are Black, like this since way before there WhiskeyGrinder 2 hrs ago #2
Dupe bif 1 hr ago #3
I knew the women were Black before reading the article BlueWaveNeverEnd 49 min ago #4
Please post to... littlemissmartypants 38 min ago #5
Having already given birth with 3 prior C Sections.... FarPoint 27 min ago #6

CousinIT

(12,489 posts)
1. The Republican Taliban view women as state-owned breeding livestock...
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 11:04 AM
2 hrs ago

...not human beings.

That attitude underlies every single one of their policies related to reproductive care (or lack thereof) for US women and girls.

WhiskeyGrinder

(26,857 posts)
2. People have been treating pregnant people, and in particular those who are Black, like this since way before there
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 11:08 AM
2 hrs ago

was a Taliban.

FarPoint

(14,713 posts)
6. Having already given birth with 3 prior C Sections....
Sat Mar 14, 2026, 12:45 PM
27 min ago

For me, that is a clue that a vaginal birth would result in major complications.... Do the C-Section...my opinion.

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