Affirmative Action in Hospitals

By now, most Californians are familiar with the general idea of prop 16, or better known as affirmative action. Simply put, it will "restore affirmative action in California — meaning universities and government offices can take into account someone’s race, gender, or ethnicity in making hiring, spending, and admissions decisions." There are many pros and cons to it and therefore, Californians are divided on this subject. There has been a multitude of cases where people of color face discrimination and disadvantages in hospitals because of the skin they were born in. To this, voting yes on Prop 16 promises a " . . .racially diverse medical student body to have a physician workforce that provides culturally competent care to our communities" and a ". . . racially diverse medical student body to train researchers who will conduct studies that take into account non-White subjects and replace outdated racist models." Opponents to Prop 16 claim that it is "a giant step backward" that "would hurt the very [people] we want to help." They argue that albeit racial inequality is a problem in hospitals, prop 16 will only be a "bandaid" for it. Instead, it may lead to further discrimination as one race may be favored over the other to receive the same treatment.

Voting yes or no is a choice of personally held beliefs for each of us and there isn't a clear black and white in this situation. However, whatever your answer may be, the time is now to get your voice heard by voting.

---

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_California_Proposition_16

• https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.21.5.90

• https://wclp.org/asian-americans-should-vote-yes-on-prop-16-heres-why/