Affirmative Action in Medical Schools is a Must

Essay by GIgirlmelUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, October 2004

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Affirmative Action in Medical Schools is a Must

Medical education is among the most rapidly changing fields of higher education today. However, in spite of the continuing progress in medical education, the field has remained relatively slow to respond to the demands of what is an increasingly multicultural society. Affirmative action has been a controversial issue at all levels and in all fields of education. I believe that in medical schools affirmative action should be allowed. The need for diversification in medicine is absolutely vital to the health of the U.S. medical system. One of the deontological considerations of affirmative action in medical schools is that, according to the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, no State shall deny any person the equal protection of the law. No one should be discriminated against. For those who have been discriminated against in the past have a right to compensation for the harm done in the past.

Some of the utilitarian considerations for affirmative action in medical schools are that it benefits minorities and under privileged people who would not otherwise have the opportunity, it makes the workplace a stronger place because of the diverse, mix of people and even non-minorities will benefit from the cross-cultural exposure.

The landmark case, Regents of the University of California v. Bakke, concerned affirmative action in medical school specifically. Allen Bakke was rejected from medical school admissions twice, though he had a higher average Grade Point Average (GPA) and Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) scores than a number of minority students admitted under a special admissions program. Bakke argued that the special admission policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. UC Davis appealed to the Supreme Court and marked the first time the U.S. Supreme Court considered affirmative action in higher education admissions.