Commentary

Two of Louisiana’s Healthcare Boards Are Engaging in Racial Discrimination

  • By Do No Harm Staff
  • October 20, 2023

The Louisiana State Boards of Dentistry and Medical Examiners are discriminating by race.

We reviewed the statutes that have race-based criteria on who’s eligible to serve on these boards. As the Pacific Legal Foundation has uncovered, the state is putting race above the qualification that matters most in health care: Expertise. This discrimination is therefore a direct threat to patients. It must be stopped immediately.

  • The Louisiana State Board of Dentistry’s 15-member board is required to include an “At-Large Seat A” that is filled “from a list of three black dentists certified by the board secretary to the governor.” A ballot is sent via postal mail to all black dentists in the state, who nominate their choices for that list.
  • The ten-member State Board of Medical Examiners must select at least one minority appointee from the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center at New Orleans and at least one minority appointee from the LSU Health Sciences Center at Shreveport.

Such discriminatory mandates reflect the politicization of health care. States like Louisiana likely restrict membership on boards in order to please woke activists who demand race and gender quotas in the name of “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” Yet discrimination violates federal law and the U.S. Constitution. Louisiana has no right to restrict membership based on race.

The Louisiana State Boards of Dentistry and Medical Examiners oversee critical parts of the medical field. When board members are chosen by race, they are potentially deprived of more qualified experts. It can result in less medically sound policies and more woke extremism. Health authorities should be solely focused on improving health outcomes, regardless of race, gender, or any other consideration.

Do No Harm is dedicated to fighting discrimination in health care. If you or anyone you know wants to serve on these boards, please contact us. We’d love to work with you to restore fairness and equal treatment to Louisiana.