State Senator accepts challenge from nurses, apologizes for controversial comment
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- State Senator Maureen Walsh (R-Walla Walla) agreed to shadow a nurse for 12 hours after taking heat for a controversial remark on the Senate floor.
Walsh came under fire when she opposed a bill mandating uninterrupted lunch breaks and rest periods for hospital nurses.
“I would submit to you those nurses probably do get breaks,” Walsh said. “They probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day."
That sparked an online petition demanding Walsh shadow a nurse on a 12-hour shift and more than a half million people signed on.
Monday, Walsh accepted the challenge and claimed her comments were taken out of context. She said she was only concerned that the rules would be a hardship for small, rural hospitals.
"I wish I could reel that comment back in. I certainly did not mean to imply that my nurses sit around playing cards all day," said Walsh. "I have great respect for nurses. My mother was a registered nurse for many years."
