Minnesota surgeon fired after saying parents should make children's healthcare decisions
A longtime Minnesota general surgeon was dismissed from his hospital after arguing parents should make healthcare decisions for their children.
The regional health provider, Lake Region Healthcare, confirmed that Dr. Jeffrey Horak no longer works there as of Wednesday. The company did not specify the reason for his departure, but the doctor recently made comments regarding parents making healthcare decisions for their children.
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"I am a man who believes individuals have the right to do their research and decide what is best for them and their children when it comes to their health," Horak told the Wahpeton Daily News of his dismissal. "I don't believe governments or institutions should dictate that. It's a position I've always have taken. And when the science doesn't make sense to me, it's hard for me to go along."
The Fergus Falls school district's Oct. 11 board meeting attracted relatively high attendance due to fallout from its 10-day mandatory mask policy. Horak made an appearance at the meeting, suggesting parents be allowed to make healthcare decisions for themselves. While there, he also discussed a monkey at a Detroit zoo that can tie knots, a reference some deemed racist.
Nine days after Horak's speech, the surgeon claimed he was offered a choice: resign or be terminated. The doctor chose the latter.
"We sincerely appreciate Dr. Horak's 16 years of service to our patients and our organizations, and we wish him the best as he transitions his practice from here," Kent Mattson, CEO of Lake Region Healthcare, reportedly said of Horak's departure.
Mattson noted Horak was employed at LRH under a professional services agreement but did not clarify whether Horak's comments at the school board were related to his termination.
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Parents' role in making decisions regarding their children's health and education has come under increasing scrutiny in recent weeks. Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe said last month that parents shouldn't tell schools what to teach, and recent clashes between parents and school administrators over mask mandates and transgender policies, among other contentious issues, led the Justice Department to issue a memo dispatching the FBI to ensure school staff can "work without fear," a move slammed by GOP critics as targeting concerned parents.
Lake Region Healthcare did not return the Washington Examiner's request for comment.
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Tags: News, Schools, Surgery, You're Fired, Minnesota
Original Author: Christopher Hutton
Original Location: Minnesota surgeon fired after saying parents should make children's healthcare decisions
