Doctors in California file lawsuit against state over mandatory ‘implicit bias’ DEI training.

Doctors and Advocacy Group ​Sue California Over “Implicit Bias” Training Requirement

Two doctors and the medical advocacy ‌group Do No Harm (DNH) have filed a lawsuit against ⁢California challenging the state’s law that mandates “implicit bias” training for doctors as part of their continuing medical education.

“The⁤ implicit bias requirement promotes ⁣the inaccurate belief that white individuals⁣ are naturally racist,” said Dr. Marilyn Singleton, a Los Angeles anesthesiologist and member of⁢ DNH. “This message can be detrimental to medical professionals and their patients as it ​creates an atmosphere of suspicion and animosity, which goes against the fundamental principle of ⁢doing no harm.”

In 2019, California passed a law ⁢requiring doctors to complete courses on implicit bias with the aim of reducing health disparities based on demographic characteristics such as race, gender, and sexual orientation. The concept of implicit bias suggests⁢ that doctors ⁢may treat patients differently based on these characteristics, leading to disparities in ⁤healthcare.

All California doctors must complete 50 hours of continuing education every two years to renew their ‌licenses.

The lawsuit argues that the requirement forces physicians to adopt an ideology without evidence-based consensus on the effectiveness of such ⁣trainings. It also cites ⁣evidence showing that these trainings can cause counterproductive anger and frustration among participants.

The ‍suit challenges the law on free speech grounds, asserting that the government cannot compel speakers to engage in discussions on ⁢controversial topics or condition their ability to offer courses for credit based⁢ on espousing ⁤the government’s favored view.

The plaintiffs are represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation,‍ whose attorney Caleb Trotter argues that the training fails to consider each medical case in the context of the ‌patient’s individual conditions. He adds that the training tells doctors to prioritize a patient’s immutable characteristics, regardless of their relevance​ to the ‌patient’s treatment.

Both Dr. Singleton and Dr. Azadeh Khatibi, a⁤ Los Angeles ophthalmologist, have taught continuing medical education courses for years and are concerned that the California law would force them to teach the content.

DNH, as a membership organization, is joining the lawsuit on behalf of its California ‍members who oppose ​including the content in their continuing education sessions. The organization states that its mission ⁢is to protect healthcare from radical, divisive, and ⁣discriminatory ideologies.

Click here to read more from The⁤ Washington Examiner.

“Physicians have free will and act in the best interest of their patients. ‍The​ idea‌ of unconscious bias states that one acts on those biases, and there’s no evidence of this happening in the medical community,” said Dr. Stanley Goldfarb, chairman of DNH. “Medical professionals take the Hippocratic​ oath to do no harm and do not need ‌lawmakers or medical organizations to tell them what they should think when⁣ providing medical advice to patients.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to the Medical Board of California for comment.

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