She was in active labor and refused a C-section. The hospital took her to court.

Childbirth often goes differently than planned, but a Florida woman faced something truly unexpected while she was in labor: a virtual court hearing.

In September 2024, Cherise Doyley, a professional birthing doula and pregnant mother of three, arrived at the University of Florida Health Hospital in active labor, according to reports from People and ProPublica.

Doyley's plan was to try for a vaginal birth, the reports said, but staff were concerned about the risk of uterine rupture and suggested she give birth via C-section. USA TODAY has reached out to the hospital for comment.

Uterine rupture is a rare but "serious complication where the uterus tears or breaks open," Cleveland Clinic explains, adding it’s most common in those who’ve had a previous cesarean section then try for a vaginal delivery.

"In people who’ve had one cesarean delivery, it happens in about 1 in 300 deliveries. Among people who’ve had more than one C-section, uterine rupture is more common, affecting up to 9 in 300 deliveries," the clinic notes.

According to ProPublica, Doyley, who had previous C-sections that led to complications, understood her risk for rupture to be less than 2% and told doctors she wouldn’t consent to a cesarean without trying a vaginal delivery first.

Later, nurses arrived with a tablet pulled open to a virtual court hearing with a judge and other officials.

In a recording of the hearing obtained by ProPublica, Doyley called it “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen."

She also asked if there was an African-American doctor that could be assigned to her care instead, to which the judge responded, "I don't find that race really has much to do with this."

"It does have much to do with it, because historically Black people do better when they have healthcare providers that look like them," she responded. "So even though you don't think so, statistically speaking, I have a better chance of having better care from a BIPOC person."

Maternal mortality rates are 3.5 times higher for Black women than their White counterparts, and experts say unconscious bias among healthcare providers plays a role.

Research suggests the remnants of the medical community's long history of racial bias persist in modern day. For example, a 2016 study found that nearly half of first- and second-year medical students believed that Black people have a greater pain tolerance, thicker skin and feel less pain than White patients.

Hours later, the judge did not order an immediate C-section but ruled the hospital could perform the surgery without her consent if an emergency arose.

Overnight, doctors said the baby’s heart rate dropped, ProPublica reports, and rushed Doyley into surgery, giving birth to her daughter via C-section before the baby was brought to the neonatal intensive care unit.

“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.