Ahead of House Hearing Attacking Diversity in Admissions, LDF Stands with Medical Schools Working to Diversify Profession

Read a PDF of our statement here.

Ahead of tomorrow's hearing in the House Education and Workforce Committee, "Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools," Legal Defense Fund (LDF) Director of Policy Demetria McCain issued the following statement:

"At a time when Black people continue to suffer disproportionately from preventable illnesses and receive worse health care, it is disturbing to see the House Education and Workforce Committee target efforts to address these disparities. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility initiatives make medical schools - and health care - better. The evidence is clear that welcoming talented and qualified Black students into the medical profession ultimately leads to better care, especially for Black patients. Doctors who train and practice with people from different backgrounds can more effectively communicate with their patients and are less likely to make mistakes, improving health outcomes.

"Unfortunately, the House Education and Workforce Committee is only interested in advancing this administration's dangerous, harmful, and divisive political agenda. The Department of Justice has baselessly attacked medical schools due to the belief that the schools admitted too many Black and Latino students. It is disappointing to see the committee take up these claims - which would not hold up in court - and join the administration's efforts to pressure medical schools into ending equitable admissions processes.

"The Trump administration has cut billions of dollars in health care and research funding because those programs advance health equity. The House Education and Workforce Committee should not participate in this administration's distressing crusade to inhibit access to quality health care and close the doors of opportunity for aspiring doctors."

Additional Resource:

At a 2024 Education and Workforce subcommittee hearing that similarly attacked DEIA on college campuses, Legal Defense Fund Director of Strategic Initiatives Jin Hee Lee submitted written testimony explaining the unfair barriers that limit Black and other underrepresented students' access to higher education opportunities, including medical school.

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Founded in 1940, theLegal Defense Fund (LDF)is the nation's frst civil rights legal organization. LDF has beencompletely separatefrom the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957, though it was founded under the leadership of Thurgood Marshall while he was at the NAACP. LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute (TMI) is a division of LDF that undertakes innovative research and houses LDF'sarchive. In all media attributions, please refer to us as the Legal Defense Fund or LDF (do not include NAACP) and refer to the Institute as LDF's Thurgood Marshall Institute or TMI.