LSU Med School Scrubs Link to ‘Defund the Police’ Site After Do No Harm Exposé

Last week, Do No Harm reported on the fact that the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Medicine was maintaining a web page directing students to radical political activist sites, including a site explicitly calling to defund local police departments. Other resources included recommendations for medical schools to institute forms of racial discrimination in the name of “recreating Wakanda” and achieving health equity goals.

Now, it seems like LSU has decided this site perhaps isn’t the best advertisement for its medical education offerings. Following the publication of our story, the page was taken down. 

LSU is no longer directing students to these radical sites that have nothing whatsoever to do with the medical school’s pedagogical mission. And that is a welcome change.

But LSU may have more to worry about.

Louisiana State Sen. Valarie Hodges said the page violated a recently-enacted law, Act 584, that prohibits professors from imposing “political views on students.” Hodges, who authored the law, characterized the medical school’s behavior as “unacceptable.”

“This type of politically motivated, radical calls to activism from a state-funded higher education institution cannot be allowed as per state law,” Hodges said in a statement. “Louisiana’s  Legislature and Governor have been clear about where our state stands in relation to radical leftist activism in our schools that is meant to divide our citizens and destroy our state and our nation. This blatant disrespect and disregard to Louisiana law and beliefs held by students who attend LSU Medical School is unacceptable and egregious.”

Other Louisiana state lawmakers who caught wind of the web page were similarly shocked at the content promoted by the publicly-funded institution.

Do No Harm asked LSU what prompted its decision to remove the web page and whether it was aware of concerns it violated state law; the university has yet to respond.

Still, LSU’s decision to remove the page is an encouraging sign. It demonstrates the importance of shining a light on the political activities of medical schools that detract or often outright contradict their role as educational institutions.

Do No Harm will continue to expose medical schools that prioritize radical political activism rather than focusing exclusively on their mission to educate the next generation of healthcare professionals.