Dr. Jaqueline “Jackie” Walters issued a public apology after Married to Medicine fans were disappointed about the comments she made about Black women and pregnancy pains.
Since Dr. Jackie is a respected Black OB-GYN with over 20 years of experience and on a nationally recognized platform (Bravo), Vice President Kamala Harris selected her as an ally to help spread awareness about and combat the unbalanced maternity mortality rate in America. As we previously reported, a YouTube Live video from a couple of years ago resurfaced where the Married to Medicine star gave her opinion on how women of color behave while pregnant, claiming they are “dramatic” and often “cry wolf,” which was shocking coming from a Black doctor who never gave birth herself.
This caused quite an outrage online among the Black community since many women felt her comments were very harmful because Black women are three times more likely to die while giving birth than white women, according to the CDC. After being slammed on social media, she initially posted a statement that only acknowledged her reasons for becoming a medical professional and her career goals but no apology, which added fuel to the fire. In response, a few of her castmates, Toya Bush-Harris, Dr. Heavenly Kimes and Dr. Simone Whitmore, spoke out in her defense, but it didn’t help the situation.
When the heat didn’t let up, on Dec. 23, the 65-year-old posted a video of her reading an apology to her Instagram followers with a caption that simply read, “My apology.”
“Happy holidays to you and yours. I’m taking a much-needed pause to address comments that I made during a 2020 live interview with one of my castmates,” she began. “First and most importantly, to Black women and mothers, including your friends, families, and the medical community who cares for you. Because my words left you hurt and feeling unsupported. I want you to know that I hear you, I see you, I believe you and I apologize from the bottom of my heart.”
She continued, “I am broken-hearted over this. The guilt and reality that I have hurt and offended people, especially Black women and some of my own patients, pains me to my core. As I look back over the two-hour video again and again, I admit I used the wrong words and descriptions to properly convey my concerns regarding maternal mortality related to women of color. But the fact is we must do more because we are still dying more.”
Dr. Jackie went on to give suggestions on what women can do while pregnant to help get the best support during pregnancy, which was to “keep a log of your concerns and symptoms so that you can provide them accurately to your physician. Have a buddy system. Someone who can advocate for you when you’re with a physician, especially when pregnant. Know that a second and third opinion is not just sometimes warranted but necessary.”
She ended the video thanking everyone who chose to watch the video during the holidays.
“I thank you for taking out time from your holiday to tune into my apology and my self-dedication to Black women and healthcare. I’ve been shaken and moved to be better.”
While the apology was good enough for some, for many it didn’t matter because the damage had already been done.
“Apology isn’t sincere, she only doing it bc her image is being tarnished by the fact that she’s not the dr she portrays herself to be, except for when it comes to her celebrity patients 🤷🏾♀️,” one person commented under Dr. Jackie’s apology video.
“Didn’t she double-down on her comments and Simone, Toya, and heavenly was riding for her before this apology? She’s only doing this because her ACTUAL patients came out and exposed her!,” another person wrote.
“Bye Jackie. That video is forever old and NOW you want to issue an apology? In addition, you’re apologizing for HOW you said what you said as opposed to, apologizing for say WHAT you said?! You always had your nose in the air. Smh,” a third person commented.
What do you think of Dr. Jackie’s apology video?
