Florida Nurse Terminated After Controversial Social Media Post Targeting White House Spokesperson
A Florida healthcare professional has been dismissed from her position following the circulation of a disturbing social media video in which she expressed wishes for severe harm to befall a prominent political figure during childbirth. The incident has ignited significant debate about professional conduct and political discourse in healthcare settings.
Viral Video Leads to Immediate Termination
Lexie Lawler, a labor and delivery nurse employed at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital, recorded and posted a TikTok video that quickly gained widespread attention. In the since-deleted footage, Lawler directed explicit and graphic wishes toward White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is currently expecting her second child with husband Nicholas Riccio.
"As a labor and delivery nurse, it gives me great joy to wish Karoline Leavitt a fourth-degree tear," Lawler stated in the video according to multiple media reports. She continued with vulgar language expressing hope for permanent complications from childbirth injuries.
Hospital Responds with Swift Action
Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital confirmed Lawler's termination in a January 23 statement to local news outlets WPTV and CBS 12. A hospital spokesperson emphasized that the comments "do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of health care professionals."
Following what the hospital described as a "prompt review," Lawler was no longer employed by the health system. The spokesperson added that while the institution respects personal opinions, "There is no place in health care for language or behavior that calls into question a caregiver's ability to provide compassionate, unbiased care."
Political and Community Reactions
The controversial video drew condemnation from multiple quarters. Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer addressed the situation in a January 22 post on social media platform X, stating he had been in contact with hospital leadership and confirmed the nurse's termination.
"These disgusting comments have no place in medicine or in our community," Singer wrote alongside a clip of the nurse's remarks.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier took the matter further, urging the Florida Board of Nursing to revoke Lawler's license in a statement to Fox News. "Women shouldn't have to worry about a politically-driven nurse who wishes them pain and suffering being in the delivery room during childbirth," Uthmeier told the outlet, describing the behavior as "evil" and calling for permanent removal from patient care.
Nurse's Defense and Additional Controversy
Following her termination, Lawler defended herself in a separate video on Monday, according to People magazine. She redirected attention to the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by Border Patrol agents in Minnesota over the weekend.
"So they just murdered a man in Minnesota," Lawler said in reference to the incident. "They murdered a man in Minnesota, and you motherfuckers are coming after me because I used bad language. Fuck you. I'm on the right side of this. Fuck you."
The White House and Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment from HuffPost regarding the situation. Karoline Leavitt has not publicly addressed Lawler's remarks about her pregnancy and potential childbirth experience.
This incident highlights ongoing tensions between professional healthcare standards and personal political expression, particularly in the highly charged atmosphere surrounding reproductive health and political figures. The case raises questions about appropriate boundaries for healthcare professionals on social media and the consequences of crossing established ethical lines in patient care contexts.
