Medical Officials Oppose Court Ruling on Race Admissions

Biden administration officials and medical school leaders spoke out against the Supreme Court ruling Thursday that reversed race as a consideration in college admissions.

The high court ruled 6-3 that Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) violated the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection in their admissions practices.

“The Supreme Court ruling today weakens efforts to make higher education more accessible to members of historically underrepresented groups,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement reported by The Hill. “People of color have been excluded from attending medical school and joining medical organizations for generations.”

Becerra continued: “We need more health workers, especially those who look like and share the experiences of the people they serve. This builds trust between provider and patient, and helps to improve the overall quality of care.”

The Association of American Medical Colleges issued a statement saying its leaders were “deeply disappointed” by the ruling.

“Today’s decision demonstrates a lack of understanding of the critical benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in educational settings and a failure to recognize the urgent need to address health inequities in our country,” AAMC President and CEO David J. Skorton, and Chief Legal Officer Frank Trinity said.

The decision is “potentially a step toward resegregating college campuses, and thus a problem for all socially aware institutions,” James E. K. Hildreth, president of historically Black Meharry Medical College, wrote in an opinion piece at The Hill.