Medical professionals and activists are sharing outrage on social media as a viral video of a pregnant Texas woman being denied care at a Dallas-area hospital continues to make the rounds on TikTok.
In the video — viewed more than 54 million times since it was shared last week — Karrie Jones is seen screaming and writhing in pain in a wheelchair at Dallas Regional Medical Center in Mesquite, Texas. She says her due date was “right now” as a nurse seems to ignore Jones’ pain while asking administrative questions and making a phone call.
Text overlayed on the video, shared by Jones’ mother, says her daughter gave birth “12 minutes later” and that the “delivery was AWFUL.”
Many viewers across social media have responded with the same sentiment: Jones’ experience is not an outlier.
“These are not isolated incidents. They stem from structural racism in our healthcare system. Black women are too often dismissed and denied dignity, safety, and timely care,” wrote Dr. Uché Blackstock, author of “Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine,” on Threads.
“A textbook example of how pregnant women’s pain and health are dismissed,” wrote Dr. Nisha Patel, an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician based in San Francisco, on X. “And then we wonder why women suffer such devastating health consequences. 😢 And on top of that, it happened in Texas, a state that severely restricts women’s reproductive rights, makes it even more infuriating.”
In Texas, the Black maternal mortality rate is nearly three times higher than it is for white women, according to the state’s data analyzed by the Texas Women’s Healthcare Coalition. Research has found that Black people face systemic barriers, like medical racism and a lack of access to health insurance.
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And the standard is already low — with worsening health outcomes for all pregnant people and babies as abortion bans have remained in effect. Several nonprofit and research organizations have ranked Texas one of the worst states for women’s healthcare.
In 2024, the Commonwealth Fund, which supports independent health policy research, developed state scorecards to track trends and policy impacts on women’s healthcare. Texas ranked 50 overall, second only to Mississippi.
The video sparked conversations in the Black community, affirming skepticism of the health care system. Several people called for the nurse to be fired.
In a statement provided to The Barbed Wire, a Dallas Regional Medical Center spokesperson would not confirm the nurse’s employment status. The statement said, in part, “We are committed to providing compassionate, high-quality care to every person who comes through our doors, and we are reviewing this situation to understand what occurred. 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.”
It was May 2020, I was five months pregnant when I walked into the perinatal office, referral in hand, and said, “My name is Kayden Coleman and I have an appointment here at 2:00 p.m.” The receptionist looked at me — disregarding the paperwork I was holding — and said, “There’s no way you have an appointment here…
Several professionals and advocates used the video as a teaching moment.
Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB-GYN based in Oregon, posted her thoughts on TikTok. In her video, Lincoln called on healthcare workers to be a “safe space” for patients.
Other users have been galvanized.
“Use your voice.Use your platforms.Use social media to demand better, expose harmful culture, and empower women – especially women of color – to know this treatment is NOT normal and NEVER acceptable,” wrote Dr. Betsy Grunch, a neurosurgeon based in Georgia, on Threads.
“We can’t fix what we’re unwilling to confront.”
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