11-28-2025 9:47am

Black Chicago Mother Forced By Hospital to Give Birth in Her Car

Ypsilanti PressLLC Editor

Mother Mercedes Wells

Angela Johnson

Published

November 26, 2025

Straight From

Last week, an Indiana hospital made news for discharging a pregnant woman who came to the hospital in active labor. Although Mercedes Wells’ story ended with her delivering a healthy baby girl, the fact that she did so in her husband’s truck after being turned away by medical professionals caused a wave of outrage about the way Black women are treated by our country’s healthcare system.

Now, the staff who treated Wells are out of work, and a local United States Representative is doing her part to make sure other mothers won’t have to endure the same pain.

“We Must Fix What Failed”

According to NBC 5 Chicago, Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady confirmed that the doctor and nurse who cared for 38-year-old Mercedes Wells have been fired.

He added that the hospital will implement a mandatory cultural competency training for all staff in the labor and delivery unit. Grady issued an apology to Wells and her family for the way they were treated, adding that the attending staff members’ behavior “does not reflect the values of Franciscan Health Crown Point, which include respect for life and compassionate concern.”

“We failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns. As an experienced mother who publicly acknowledged having previously given birth at our hospital with a positive experience, she knew something was not right,” he said in a statement. “We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells.”

Wells spent nearly six hours laboring in the hospital, according to WTTW Chicago. But rather than be admitted to a room where she would deliver her baby, Wells was sent home after a nurse told her she was not dilated enough, even though Wells said her contractions were one minute apart. Just eight minutes after leaving Franciscan Health Crown Point to get treatment at another hospital, Wells delivered her daughter on the side of the road with just her husband there to help.

Thankfully, Wells and her newborn daughter, Alena, are doing well, but she says she still can’t make sense of why the hospital turned her away when she needed help.

“I was stripped of my dignity. As a person, I was treated less than an animal,” she said.

The WELLS Act

Now that the Wells’ experience has put yet another spotlight on healthcare disparities in America, one United States Representative has crafted a new bill that would protect expectant mothers in the future.

On Nov. 25, Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) announced plans to introduce the Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety (WELLS) Act on the House floor. The WELLS Act would encourage hospitals to develop a safe discharge labor plan that would include a “clinical justification for discharge, assessment of travel distance, an identified back-up hospital or birthing facility, verification of reliable transportation, and documentation of patient understanding. The bill also includes an expansion of racial bias training for healthcare workers.

“Mercedes’s courage to speak out about her experience and advocate for change propelled me to introduce the WELLS Act to ensure no other mother goes through the same pain,” Rep. Kelly said in a statement. “Mercedes has given birth three times before and was telling the nurse she was in active labor, but far too often, Black women’s pain is ignored, dismissed, and discharged. This cannot continue to happen. My legislation builds on my comprehensive CARE for Moms Act and aims to correct our healthcare system, so all Black women receive the care they need and deserve.”www.theroot.com

Prospective:

This story has inspired many to continue the innovation of the Prenatal Vitality Monitoring System created by April Christian-Davis to inform both the doctor and patient of the wellness of unborn child and Mother. Please support this movement and let's support the mother and child who experienced this unloving act. To donate call or text 313-595-7143 PVM or email PVMmonitorsystems@gmail.com. Thank you