Congress considering bill to curb DEI in med schools
The bill would withhold federal funds from medical schools that force DEI principles on students and employers.
‘We are facing a drastic shortage of doctors and Higher Ed in medicine has been highjacked with progressive politicians who are not dealing with the real issues that face the future of medicine in this country,’ the bill sponsor told Campus Reform.
Republicans in Congress hope to curb diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives in medical schools by restricting federal funding.
Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.) introduced the Embracing anti-Discrimination, Unbiased Curricula, and Advancing Truth in Education (EDUCATE) Act on March 19, amending the Higher Education Act of 1965 to “ban race-based mandates at medical schools and accrediting institutions.”
[RELATED: Republican senators introduce bill to ban DEI requirements for university accreditation]
The bill states that medical schools that receive federal funds may not “[e]stablish, maintain, or contract with a [DEI] office, or any other functional equivalent of such an office.”
The EDUCATE Act also stops medical schools from forcing students and faculty to support the idea that America is “institutionally racist,” that “America is an oppressive nation, or that “any sex, race, ethnicity, religion, color, or national origin makes an individual a member of oppressed or oppressor categories.”
The bill additionally prohibits medical schools from requiring candidates to write diversity statements as part of their application process.
“Medical schools across the country have embraced exclusionary and harmful DEl initiatives, damaging the quality and training of doctors entering our workforce,” Murphy told Campus Reform. “We are facing a drastic shortage of doctors and Higher Ed in medicine has been highjacked with progressive politicians who are not dealing with the real issues that face the future of medicine in this country.”
“Racial disparities in medicine cannot be adequately addressed by integrating discriminatory social theory into hiring practices and curricula,” he continued. “Physicians should be trained to treat patients on a holistic and individual basis. Teaching that takes into consideration the challenges different populations face is good, but interpreting every situation through the lens of race is not.”
Any federally-funded medical school that violates the requirements of the EDUCATE Act will be ineligible “to receive funds or any other form of financial assistance under any Federal program, including participation in any federally funded or guaranteed student loan program.”
Sens. John Kennedy (R-La.) and Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) introduced a “companion version” of the EDUCATE Act in the Senate on April 11.
“Woke universities are forcing America’s future doctors to care more about race and gender than saving lives. The EDUCATE Act would make sure taxpayer dollars don’t fund medical schools that discriminate against talented students or peddle progressive nonsense at the expense of science,” Kennedy said.
[RELATED: Rep. Jim Banks: Anti-DEI bill is the first step to ‘reform or replace the accreditation cartel’]
In March, bills fighting back against DEI on college and university campuses moved forward in Kansas and South Carolina.
In March, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also signed into law legislation banning DEI initiatives at the state’s publicly funded colleges and universities.
Campus Reform has contacted Sens. John Kennedy and Eric Schmitt for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
