Court rules Wisconsin hospital can’t be forced to give ivermectin to COVID patient

The Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a Wisconsin hospital cannot be forced to give ivermectin to a COVID-19 patient.

The 6-1 ruling overturned a lower court order that required Aurora Health Care to administer ivermectin to John Zingsheim, a patient who was placed on a ventilator due to COVID-19 complications.

Zingsheim’s nephew, Allen Gahl, was authorized to make his medical decisions and requested the hospital treat his uncle with ivermectin. 

However, Aurora determined “the use of ivermectin in the treatment of John Zingsheim’s COVID-19 symptoms does not meet the standard of care for treatment.” 

A Waukesha County Circuit Court initially ordered Aurora to administer the ivermectin before altering its order to require Gahl to find an outside physician for Aurora to credential and provide the ivermectin. 

The Wisconsin Supreme Court found the circuit court erroneously exercised its discretion because it cited “no law in either its written order or its oral ruling.”

“The circuit court’s written order granting Gahl relief does not cite any statute, case, or other source of law as a foundation allowing for its issuance,” the court said in Tuesday’s filing, later adding, “Absent any citation to law establishing a legal basis for the order, we cannot determine that the circuit court employed the reasoning process our precedent demands.”

Ivermectin, an anti-parasitic medication typically used on livestock, grew in popularity among conservatives after it was hailed by some as a miracle cure for COVID-19. 

However, the Food and Drug Administration has not approved ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19, and a National Institutes of Health panel found trials failed to show a clinical benefit from treating COVID-19 with ivermectin.