In the United States, a black woman was rejected by a hospital while giving birth. “My daughter was kicked out of this hospital. And she’s in active labor,” said Sana Strickland, mother of Mercedes Wells. “It was a nightmare. Something I never imagined,” Mercedes describes.
She says the nurse couldn’t believe she was about to give birth to her fourth child, even though contractions were happening every minute. “She didn’t really…she didn’t listen to me. Mercedes’ experience is not uncommon among black women in the United States.
Structural racism leads to significant health disparities, as revealed by the nation’s maternal mortality rate. In 2022 and 2023, for every 100,000 live births, an average of 50 black women died, compared to an average of 17 white women. In other words, black women are three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.
After being rejected, Mercedes left with her husband in search of another hospital. A few minutes later, the baby was born in the car on the highway. Fortunately, Mercedes and her daughter, Alena, survived the ordeal. “I’m happy she’s here, but I’m angry. I’m frustrated. You know…why? It’s 2025,” says Leon Wells, Mercedes’ husband.
The hospital that rejected his claims that the nurse and doctor involved in the case had been fired. From now on, the institution wants to make “cultural competency training” mandatory for the entire obstetrics team. “I couldn’t imagine this happening, but it happened to me. It happened to us,” laments Mercedes.
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