Florida Nurse Terminated Over Graphic Social Media Rant Targeting White House Press Secretary
A labour and delivery nurse from Florida has been dismissed from her position following a controversial social media post in which she wished severe physical harm upon White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during childbirth.
Hospital Responds to Viral TikTok Controversy
Lexie Lawler, who was employed at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, posted a now-deleted video on TikTok expressing her hope that Leavitt, who is expecting her second child, would experience what she described as a "fourth-degree tear" during delivery. The video contained explicit language and graphic descriptions of potential birth injuries.
Baptist Health issued a formal statement confirming Lawler's termination, emphasising that the comments made in the video "do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of healthcare professionals." The hospital added that while they respect personal opinions, there is no place in healthcare for language that questions a caregiver's ability to provide compassionate, unbiased care.
Community and Political Reactions
The video sparked immediate backlash, with Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer condemning the remarks on Facebook, stating that such "disgusting comments have no place in medicine or in our community."
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier went further, calling on the Florida Board of Nursing to revoke Lawler's license over what he described as "vile" comments. "She doesn't belong anywhere near patients," Uthmeier stated in a social media post.
Lawler's Response and Fundraising Efforts
Following her dismissal, Lawler appeared unrepentant in subsequent social media posts. Over the weekend, she referenced the death of another nurse in Minneapolis while protesting immigration policies, defiantly stating: "They murdered a man in Minnesota and you motherf***ers are coming after me because I used bad language?"
A GoFundMe campaign organised by Lawler's husband has raised nearly $7,000 toward a $14,000 goal for "employment and civil rights counsel." The fundraising page describes Lawler as "a liberal woman who used her personal social media—on her own time—to sharply criticize a public figure tied to a cruel, harmful administration."
Professional Consequences and Free Speech Debate
The incident has sparked broader conversations about healthcare professionals' conduct on social media and the boundaries of free speech. While the Florida Board of Nursing has not yet initiated formal disciplinary proceedings, the case highlights the tension between personal expression and professional standards in the healthcare sector.
Lawler's husband shared the fundraiser on social media with the message: "Support free speech one dollar at a time," indicating the family views the termination as an issue of protected speech rather than professional misconduct.
The White House has not commented on the incident, leaving the public debate to unfold across social media platforms and traditional news outlets as healthcare ethics, political discourse, and employment rights intersect in this controversial case.
