LOUISVILLE, Ky. — U.S. Sen. Rand Paul’s attorneys say in a court filing that he plans to undergo hernia surgery in Canada because of injuries he suffered when a neighbour attacked Paul while he was doing yard work at his Kentucky home.
The filing in Paul’s lawsuit against Rene Boucher says the senator will travel to Ontario for outpatient surgery scheduled later this month.
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The document says the surgery is related to the 2017 attack. Boucher pleaded guilty to assaulting a member of Congress and was sentenced to 30 days in prison. Federal prosecutors are appealing the sentence.
Paul has been a frequent critic of Canada’s health care system. He infamously compared Canada’s single-payer public health care system to slavery, saying “right to health care” would mean a person would be able to come to a physician’s house and “enslave” them in 2011.
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A spokesperson for Paul said he would be visiting a private hospital for the surgery, and not a public one.
“Shouldice is a private, world-renowned hospital specializing in hernia repair, and people come from around the world to pay cash for their services,” spokesperson Kelsey Cooper told Global News via email.
Shouldice Hospital, in Thornhill, Ont., is dedicated solely to care for hernias, according to its website.
— with files from Global News