*Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.) has introduced legislation aimed at preventing hospitals from discharging women during active labor, particularly addressing the disproportionate risks Black women face in maternal care.
The proposed WELLS Act (Women Expansion for Learning and Labor Safety Act) would establish mandatory protocols for hospitals discharging patients showing labor symptoms. As Newsone reports, the legislation requires healthcare facilities to create a formal discharge plan that includes three key components: written justification for releasing the patient, evaluation of the patient’s travel distance and time to access care again, and the patient’s written acknowledgment of associated risks and care instructions. The bill also includes provisions for healthcare worker training focused on reducing racial disparities in maternal healthcare.
Kelly stated, “My bill aims to address systematic issues around maternal care, racial disparities, and hospital accountability. It’s clear that what happened to Mercedes isn’t an isolated incident, nor is it the first time a Black woman’s pain has been ignored.” She added, “Until all women are heard and listened to in our hospitals and health centers, I’ll be their voice in Congress fighting for change.”
The legislation follows the case of Mercedes Wells, who gave birth in her car after being sent home while in active labor from Franciscan Health Crown Point Hospital in Indiana. Wells’ husband assisted the delivery inside their truck, while her sister-in-law described the ordeal: “He grabbed, like, a blanket, and then, put the baby on Mercedes’ chest, my niece on her chest, and drove the rest of the way to the hospital, to Munster Community.”
Scroll to continue reading
Mercedes repeatedly informed staff she was in labor, but her concerns were reportedly ignored. “Mercedes begged her. She begged her,” her sister-in-law recalled. “She said, ‘I’m really in active labor. I can feel it, contractions as I walk. I mean my pain. I’m telling you; I can feel it.’ And she just ignored her.”
Franciscan Health Crown Point President and CEO Raymond Grady confirmed that the staff who denied Wells care no longer work at the hospital. Grady apologized to the Wells family, stating, “We failed to listen to Mrs. Wells’ concerns. We must fix what failed in our hospital so that no one experiences what happened to Mercedes Wells.”
Black women continue to face alarming disparities in maternal health, being three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications, a crisis worsened in states with restrictive abortion laws. The WELLS Act seeks to address these systemic inequities and improve safety and accountability for all women in labor.
MORE NEWS ON EURWEB.COM: Indiana Woman Gives Birth on Roadside After Family Says Hospital Discharged Her in Labor
Sign up for our Free daily newsletter HERE.
