‘Life and death’: House GOP faces mounting pressure to target DEI in medical schools

FIRST ON FOX: More than 50 conservative groups are urging the House of Representatives to vote on a bill to block medical schools from weighing diversity as an admissions factor.

"Prioritizing the teaching of the political and social ideology at the heart of DEI, to the exclusion or expense of academic excellence, has life and death consequences for millions of patients," they argued. "This bill takes a critical first step in reorienting medical education towards its noble, life-saving mission."

The groups – 52 in total and include Do No Harm, Tea Party Patriots Action, Heritage Action, Physicians for Reform and others – sent a letter this week urging House Education and Workforce Committee Chair Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., to advance the bill through her panel and for Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring it to the House floor.

Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C., introduced the EDUCATE Act in March alongside Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio. It’s co-sponsored by 45 of their fellow House Republicans.

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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. (Getty Images)

Murphy is the only actively practicing surgeon in Congress.

He said the bill "compels medical schools and accrediting agencies to uphold colorblind admissions processes and prohibits the coercion of students who hold certain political opinions."

"Diversity strengthens medicine, but not if it’s achieved through exclusionary practices," Murphy said when introducing the bill.

The conservative groups who led the new letter to Johnson and Foxx said too great of a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in medical school training "compromises the quality of medical professionals we produce and undermines the importance of scientific expertise and patient care."

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Rep. Greg Murphy, R-N.C. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)

"With swift action we can restore confidence in medical professionals and roll back the negative consequences of DEI through a renewed focus on academic and professional excellence in medical schools, hospitals, doctors’ offices, and clinics across the country," the letter read.

A review of 50 top-ranked medical schools by Do No Harm found that 36 had asked applicants about their views or experience with DEI. The report described "many" as being "overt in asking applicants" if they agreed with racially charged statements.

Critics of DEI in medical schools have argued that it could lead to otherwise top-tier candidates being rejected on the basis of race or discouraged from applying altogether, and the critics voiced concerns that DEI erodes the foundation of science that such an education is based on.

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Supporters on the progressive side, however, believe that DEI is critical to training medical professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds and equipping them to handle a larger spectrum of issues.

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The Association of American Medical Colleges, for example, argues on its website that "research shows that a diverse and inclusive biomedical research workforce with individuals from historically excluded and underrepresented groups is critical to gathering the range of perspectives needed to identify and solve the complex scientific problems of today and tomorrow."

Fox News Digital reached out to Johnson and Foxx for comment on the letter.