Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that a registered nurse who said he would refuse to provide anesthesia to "MAGA" patients is no longer licensed in the state.
Erik Martindale, an alleged registered nurse, posted on Facebook, "I will not perform anesthesia for any surgeries or procedures for MAGA. It is my right, it is my ethical oath, and I stand behind my education. I own all of my businessess and I can refuse anyone!"
The remark quickly went viral, including on Libs of TikTok.
"Effective today, Erik Martindale is no longer a registered nurse in Florida," Uthmeier wrote on social media. "Healthcare is not contingent on political beliefs, and we have zero tolerance for partisans who put politics above their ethical duty to treat patients with the respect and dignity they deserve."
Martindale claimed his Facebook and social media accounts were hacked.
However, does Martindale have a right to say what he said? Under Florida's 2023 Protections of Medical Conscience Act, health care providers may opt out of services or procedures that violate their religious or moral beliefs.
This isn't the first nurse to have their license removed this week. Alexis "Lexie" Lawler, who worked at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, was banned after a vulgar attack about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is pregnant.
The post also went viral on Libs of TikTok.
"As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth-degree tear. I hope you rip from f* bow to stern and never s* normally again you c*," Lawler said.
According to the Mayo Clinic, a fourth-degree tear is the most severe laceration a woman can have during childbirth. Lawler was later fired by the hospital over the remarks.
