Affirmative Action In Medical Schools example essay topic

I feel that there should be Affirmative Action in Medical Schools. One way to reach true equality is with an Affirmative Action, (AA), plan for medical schools today. Many groups today are not given fair consideration when applying for the long and difficult challenge of medical school, In some schools, without Affirmation Action, the selection process could be one sided depending on the personal views and the social background of the selection board. Affirmative Action can be achieved in two ways. The first method would be by using the quota method which sets a base line for minority acceptance into medical school. The second method would be the case by case method.

In this method you have no set base line but special factors and features are used in a selection process. This method is used to reach a goal of equality. Both issues are very controversial. The Deontological Issue for Affirmative Action is one of Compensation. That is a group that has been discriminated against in the past and they deserve some form of compensation. The Deontological Issue against Affirmative Action is that it is Reverse Discrimination.

That is a white male was not selected to attend the school because the decision was based on his race or his gender. The ones against AA feel that they were better qualified but were denied entry because of a quota system. The Utilitarian issues for AA are that the program gives them a chance where otherwise they would not have the opportunity to attend medical school. This program would help elevate them from their social and ethnic communities. Another argument is that a mix of ethnic and socially different people would make a stronger work and educational environment.

Another argument would be that the dominate culture would benefit from the cross-culture exchange. Utilitarian arguments against AA are that fellow students will resent minorities that get preferential treatment which would erode morale and it would impose hardships on the individual receiving such treatment. Another argument would be that unqualified people would be accepted into medical school while the more qualified individual was denied admission. This also would cause tension among the groups. i In review of the Bakke Case it comes to light that a well intended plan took a turn in the wrong direction.

AA was intended to ensure that minorities got fair opportunities to attend medical school at the University of California. Mr. Bakke had applied for medical school twice. The first time he was rejected due to him being a few points short of the required entry score. The second time he scored well above the required mark and was rejected again. Bakke filed a reverse discrimination suite on the grounds he was discriminated against due to his race. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Bakke due to the fact that he had been denied entry into medical school due to his race in favor o f less qualified students that were of minority group.

The Supreme Court ruled that the inflexible quota system was a violation of the Affirmative Action programs of the school. This decision was rendered in favor of Mr. Bakke and all the while, the Supreme Court upheld the overall Affirmative Action policies. The Deontological Issue in this case was that one special group was receiving the benefits of a program at the expense of others. Many non qualified minorities were selected for medical school over many better qualified white students. In this case the Deontological Issues went completely in the opposite direction in which intended and caused the discrimination of a specific group in the name of quota.

The Utilitarian Issue is that the acceptance of Mr. Bakke into medical school would benefit the greatest number of people under established acceptance criteria. ii Affirmative Action has had a roller coaster ride since Executive Order 10925 first recognized it. Many great strides have been taken such as the Civil Rights Act signed in July 1964, Executive Order 11246 gave enforcement power to Affirmative Action in September 1965, the Bakke decision of 1978, Hopwood vs. University of Texas Law School in 1996, and University of Michigan's Affirmative Action policy upheld in 2000. It seems that many university officials attempt to withhold information on quota programs and Affirmative Action Policies that discriminate against the majority. The University of Texas Law School as well as the UC Berkeley's School of Law was involved in a practice of grouping applicants by ethnic group or race. The AA that was in place was actually discriminating against groups due to the race or ethnicity. iv I would like to think that we live in a world that is free from discrimination. This is not the case.

Not only is there discrimination in the field of education but in every day life. There are daily issues on the equality issue of man vs. woman in comparable positions with great disparity in pay. There are many companies that will not allow women to be CEO or hold high positions in the company. There is a feeling in many places that minorities have less of a chance in life due to their social background. The list goes on to include age, color, social status, etc.

In conclusion, due to many variations of laws and standards, we do not all receive equal consideration on all things. Even when the intent was good but the outcome bad, as in many cases, reverse discrimination can occur. Affirmative Action is a good thing as long as the Utilitarian issue is addressed. Ensure that the outcome is best for the overall group, not just an individual. Diversity is good but not at the expense of better qualified individuals. We must have goals, not a quota.