Sha-Asia Semple Death

There’s another tragic story unfolding of a black woman dying during childbirth.

Source: Zach Wolfe / Getty

The family and friends of a Brooklyn woman are reeling after they say she was given an epidural she did not want and subsequently died. Sha-Asia Semple, 26, passed away on July 3 at Woodhull Hospital while giving birth to her baby girl.

Sha-Asia and her boyfriend Juwan Lopez checked in to Woodhull Hospital the day before with concerns about her blood pressure. The next day she went into labor and doctors escorted Juwan out of the room and gave Sha-Asia an epidural despite her protests, alleges Juwan who spoke with TheShadeRoom.

Sha-Asia had an emergency C-section and she passed away during childbirth. Doctors reportedly attempted to revive her for an hour.

“And now I’m a single father,” Juwan told The Shade Room noting that his girlfriend was a “loving and caring” person. He gave their daughter, Khloe, Sha-Asia’s name as her middle name to honor her mother.

Like Juwan, his sister Jasmin López who was Sha-Asia’s close friend is equally devastated and believes the epidural killed her.

“They were giving her too much medication. She said she didn’t want [the epidural], and they forced it on her,” said Jasmin to The Brooklyn Paper. “She was 26 years old. How does your heart stop at 26?” she added noting that her friend had a healthy pregnancy and no pre-existing conditions.

“I lost my friend, I lost my sister.”

Jasmin said the family had an independent autopsy done on the young lady’s body that confirmed she died from cardiac arrest. They believe it affirms that the epidural is to blame.

“From the coroner, the answer was the epidural killed her,” Jasmin said.

More than 100 protestors protested outside Woodhull hospital this week and held signs that read; “Woodhull has blood on their hands” and “Black births need Black doulas.”

Sha-Asia’s death comes after Unique Clay of Chicago passed away when a hospital discharged her even though she tested positive for COVID-19 during childbirth and after new mom, Kira Johnson, bled to death after nurses allegedly ignored her worsening symptoms for 10 hours.

NBC News reports that black women are at more than twice the rate of white women during live births.

We pray Sha-Asia’s family and friends get justice and answers for her untimely passing.