Woman in Active Labor Forced Into Zoom Court Over Refusing a C-Section

A Jacksonville mom found herself hooked up to monitors in her hospital bed one Sunday, suddenly facing a judge on a tablet screen to fight for how she wanted to give birth.
Cherise Doyley, a professional birthing doula and mother of three, had her water break and headed to University of Florida Health hospital in downtown Jacksonville on Sept. 9, 2024. She had gone through three C-sections before, including one that caused heavy bleeding and landed her back in the hospital for nearly a week. This time she wanted to try for a vaginal delivery.
Doctors recommended a cesarean section right away, worried about the chance of her uterus rupturing. Doyley refused, saying she knew the risks from her own history and needed to stay strong for her other kids. When she wouldn’t agree, the hospital got the state attorney’s office involved.
A nurse wheeled in a tablet, and Doyley learned she was now in an emergency virtual court hearing with Circuit Judge Michael Kalil. She had no lawyer and no patient advocate by her side. The session stretched over two hours while she was in active labor. Doctors testified about the dangers to the baby, and Doyley spoke up about her past complications and why she wanted to avoid another surgery.
The judge called the situation extraordinary and didn’t order an immediate C-section. But he gave doctors the green light to do one without her consent if things got critical. Later that night the baby’s heart rate dropped sharply for several minutes. Doyley had the emergency C-section around 2 a.m. Her daughter was born and spent a short time in the NICU for breathing support before doing fine.

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