BOCA RATON, Fla. (CBS12) — A labor and delivery nurse at Baptist Health Boca Raton Regional Hospital is no longer employed after a TikTok video surfaced that appears to show her making graphic and violent comments about White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who recently announced she is pregnant.
The video was posted by a woman identified as Alexis “Lexie” Lawler. In the video, Lawler says it “gives [her] great joy” to wish White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt would suffer a fourth-degree tear during childbirth — the most severe type of obstetric tear — using explicit and profane language. (@libsoftiktok/X/WPEC)
The video was posted by a woman identified as Alexis “Lexie” Lawler. In the video, Lawler says it “gives [her] great joy” to wish Leavitt would suffer a fourth-degree tear during childbirth — the most severe type of obstetric tear — using explicit and profane language.
Fourth-degree tears extend through muscle and tissue to the anal sphincter and can result in long-term or permanent medical complications.
The video, which was widely shared before being set to private, quickly sparked backlash online — not only because of the language used, but because it came from a healthcare professional who worked in labor and delivery.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE IN X VIDEO BELOW
Boca Raton Mayor Scott Singer said Thursday night that he contacted hospital leadership shortly after learning about the video.
“I was in touch with hospital leadership as soon as I learned this afternoon and have been informed that this person is no longer employed there,” Singer wrote on social media. “These disgusting comments have no place in medicine or in our community.”
Baptist Health confirmed Lawler is no longer employed by the health system and issued a statement to CBS12 News emphasizing professional standards in healthcare.
“The comments made in a social media video by a nurse at one of our facilities do not reflect our values or the standards we expect of healthcare professionals,” the hospital said. “Following a prompt review, the individual is no longer employed by our health system.”
The statement added that while the hospital respects the right to personal opinions, “there is no place in healthcare for language or behavior that calls into question a caregiver’s ability to provide compassionate, unbiased care.”
A photo shared by the social media account Libs of TikTok, which helped amplify the video, appears to show the nurse wearing a shirt with a rainbow and a political message critical of President Donald Trump.
As of Friday, Lawler has not publicly responded to the backlash, and her social media accounts remain private.
