{"id":55053,"date":"2025-11-18T20:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/55053\/"},"modified":"2025-11-18T20:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T20:16:09","slug":"this-viral-video-of-a-texas-mom-in-labor-is-a-textbook-example-of-the-horrors-black-pregnant-people-face-in-hospitals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/55053\/","title":{"rendered":"This Viral Video of a Texas Mom in Labor Is a \u2018Textbook Example\u2019 of the Horrors Black Pregnant People Face in Hospitals"},"content":{"rendered":"

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the video<\/a> \u2014 viewed more than 54 million times since it was shared last week \u2014\u00a0 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 \u201cright now\u201d as a nurse seems to ignore Jones\u2019 pain while asking administrative questions and making a phone call.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Text overlayed on the video, shared by Jones\u2019 mother, says her daughter gave birth \u201c12 minutes later\u201d and that the \u201cdelivery was AWFUL.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Many viewers across social media have responded with the same sentiment: Jones\u2019 experience is not an outlier.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThese 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,\u201d wrote<\/a> Dr. Uch\u00e9 Blackstock, author of \u201cLegacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine,\u201d on Threads.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA textbook example of how pregnant women\u2019s pain and health are dismissed,\u201d wrote Dr. Nisha Patel<\/a>, an internal medicine and obesity medicine physician based in San Francisco, on X. \u201cAnd then we wonder why women suffer such devastating health consequences. \ud83d\ude22 And on top of that, it happened in Texas, a state that severely restricts women\u2019s reproductive rights, makes it even more infuriating.\u201d
In Texas, the Black maternal mortality rate<\/a> is nearly three times higher than it is for white women, according to the state\u2019s data analyzed by the Texas Women\u2019s Healthcare Coalition<\/a>. Research has found that Black people face systemic barriers, like medical racism and a lack of access to health insurance.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"The\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

What have the country\u2019s most restrictive abortion laws meant for the women and babies living under them? That\u2019s the million-dollar question posed over the last three years by reporters, health care providers,\u2026<\/p>\n

And the standard is already low \u2014 with worsening health outcomes for all pregnant people<\/a> and babies as abortion bans<\/a> have remained in effect. Several nonprofit and research organizations have ranked Texas one of the worst states for women\u2019s healthcare.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 2024, the Commonwealth Fund, which supports independent health policy research, developed state scorecards to track trends and policy impacts on women\u2019s healthcare. Texas ranked 50 overall, second only to Mississippi.<\/p>\n

The video sparked conversations in the Black community, affirming skepticism of the health care system. Several people called for the nurse to be fired.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In a statement provided to The Barbed Wire, a Dallas Regional Medical Center spokesperson would not confirm the nurse\u2019s employment status. The statement said, in part, \u201cWe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"I\u2019m\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

It was May 2020, I was five months pregnant when I walked into the perinatal office, referral in hand, and said, \u201cMy name is Kayden Coleman and I have an appointment here at 2:00 p.m.\u201d\u00a0 The receptionist looked at me \u2014 disregarding the paperwork I was holding \u2014 and said, \u201cThere\u2019s no way you have an appointment here\u2026<\/p>\n

Several professionals and advocates used the video as a teaching moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB-GYN based in Oregon, posted her thoughts on TikTok<\/a>. In her video, Lincoln called on healthcare workers to be a \u201csafe space\u201d for patients.<\/p>\n

Other users have been galvanized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUse your voice.Use your platforms.Use social media to demand better, expose harmful culture, and empower women \u2013 especially women of color \u2013 to know this treatment is NOT normal and NEVER acceptable,\u201d wrote<\/a> Dr. Betsy Grunch, a neurosurgeon based in Georgia, on Threads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t fix what we\u2019re unwilling to confront.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t