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The Don Lemon Show

LEMON DROP | Black Women in Labor Denied Care: Dr. Frita Breaks Down Medical Racism

The Don Lemon Show

18Hundred LLC.

News, Society & Culture

4.3 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 19 November 2025

⏱️ 20 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Don is joined by friend of the show Dr. Frita to break down two horrific recent cases in which Black women in labor were denied the medical care they needed. In one instance, a woman was turned away from the hospital entirely and forced to deliver her baby in her car. Dr. Frita explains why these are not isolated incidents, but part of a much larger and deeply rooted problem: a medical system that routinely minimizes, dismisses, and fails to take Black women’s pain seriously. These stories reflect a pattern of medical racism that can be traumatizing and even deadly. Together, Don and Dr. Frita discuss what went wrong, why it keeps happening, and why calling out these failures is essential if we want real change and accountability in America’s healthcare system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

Okay, let's talk people about black women in labor because there were two videos that went viral this week, and they both show something that black women in this country have been saying for generations.

0:24.9

When they are in pain, when they're in labor, when something is wrong, the system does not always

0:30.7

listen. I want to bring in the perfect person to discuss that right now and that's Dr. Frieda.

0:35.3

She is a triple board certified medical doctor with

0:38.2

certifications in nephrology, hypertension, and diabetes. She's also the host of the Dr.

0:43.7

Frida YouTube channel. Thanks for joining, Dr. I appreciate you helping us get through this.

0:50.4

Okay, can we go through these videos and then you and I talk?

0:53.6

That sounds good. Okay.

0:55.0

So the first one is this is out of Crown Point, Indiana.

0:59.0

It happened at Franciscan Health.

1:02.0

Let's roll the clip.

1:03.0

Yes, you talk about my goodness.

1:06.0

My daughter is an active label, and this is a Franciscan crown point being put out in active labor. So we got to transfer her to a different hospital.

1:40.3

So we get to transfer her to a different hospital when she's in late.

1:46.0

In pain.

1:48.0

Oh, my God. So that is Mercedes Wells.

1:51.0

And I believe that's her mom that's with her.

1:53.0

She went to the hospital inactive labor.

1:56.0

Staff examined her.

1:57.0

They told her that she was only three centimeters, so dilated.

2:00.0

And so they discharged her. And then they wheeled her out. You see them right there. They were wheeling her out of the building while she was still contracting, still in pain and still clearly it was progressing. And then eight minutes later, eight minutes, she delivered her baby in the car her partner had to do it

2:20.4

himself her family had to call 911 while they were racing to another hospital

...

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