Nurse banned from working in his home state of Florida after saying he wouldn’t anesthetize MAGA supporters
A Florida nurse who said he would not anesthetize MAGA supporters can no longer work in the Sunshine State.
Erik Martindale has been facing backlash since he posted on social media that he ‘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,’ he wrote in the since-deleted post.
‘I own all of my businesses and I can refuse anyone,’ he added.
Martindale, who has since apparently deleted his social media accounts, later claimed his account was hacked.
But on Thursday, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that Martindale ‘is no longer a registered nurse in Florida.’
‘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.’
An unidentified high-ranking state official has since confirmed to Fox News that Martindale relinquished his license – and added that he broke the compact agreement by moving out of state to Indiana without notifying the Florida Board of Nursing.
Erik Martindale can no longer work as a nurse in Florida after posting on social media that he would not anesthetize MAGA supporters
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Thursday that Martindale is ‘no longer a registered nurse in Florida’
The Florida Department of Health’s portal for registered nurses now shows that Martindale voluntarily relinquished his license in the ‘license status’ field.
According to the department’s website, voluntary relinquishment ‘does not constitute discipline.’
But Martindale’s relinquishment of his nurse’s license in Florida comes just days after Uthmeier argued that both Martindale and another nurse, Alexis ‘Lexie’ Lawler, forfeited their right to practice medicine in the Sunshine State over their social media posts.
Lawler, 55, took to TikTok earlier this month to say she wishes the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who is pregnant, would sustain a fourth-degree tear while giving birth to her unborn baby.
‘I hope that you f***ing rip from bow to stern and never s*** normally again, you c***,’ she said.
A fourth-degree tear is a form of injury sustained by some women during childbirth often requiring surgery to correct. It is considered to be the most severe birthing tear.
The labor and delivery nurse was immediately dismissed from her role at the Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital.
Her license was then revoked on Wednesday.
Alexis ‘Lexie’ Lawler, 55, who wished harm to Karoline Leavitt also had her nursing license suspended over her comments
In his post on Thursday, Uthmeier said the state has ‘zero tolerance for partisans who put politics above their ethical duty to treat patients with the respect and dignity they deserve’
‘These people should not a license,’ Uthmeier declared at a news conference on Monday.
‘If you’re going to make threats by saying if someone’s a Republican, they hope they get severely injured in childbirth, that’s unacceptable.’
The Daily Mail has reached out to the Florida Department of Health for more information.
