(LibertySociety.com) – A new lawsuit aimed at Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) training could be the first of many in the battle to end what millions believe to be a divisive and unconstitutional practice. Two California doctors have taken action to stop the state medical board from forcing physicians to take or teach DEI training as part of their continuing medical education (CME) courses. One of the plaintiffs, Azadeh Khatibi, is an ophthalmologist who also teaches CME courses. She is an Iranian immigrant who is in disbelief that she is facing “creeping collectivism and unfree speech in America,” according to the plaintiffs’ legal representative, the Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF).
Anesthesiologist Marilyn Singleton is the other plaintiff in the suit, and she is a black woman who also teaches CME courses. She previously wrote an opinion piece for the Washington Post in February expressing her disagreement with implicit bias, which is the notion that white people are inherently racist. PLF’s equality and opportunity litigation director, Joshua Thompson, explained that the California law is being challenged by the two physicians in their roles as CME instructors. He said that “they don’t want to have to speak this nonsense,” arguing that the law violates their First Amendment rights.
Thompson added that physicians should not be conditioned into considering race when performing treatments and surgeries on patients. He questioned the validity of implicit bias, likening it to policing the inner thoughts and feelings of people, which he says is unscientific. The plaintiffs argue that the subjects taught in CME training should be backed up with evidence, which is not the case with implicit bias. They disagree with being required to advance a government narrative that has nothing to do with practicing medicine.
Many Republican states across the nation have passed legislation to ban DEI training and curriculum in publicly funded institutions, including state government. Republicans in Congress have also aggressively pushed to end DEI in the military. This potential landmark lawsuit could end up being fought at the Supreme Court of the United States. The plaintiffs claim that their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights are being violated and are seeking a permanent injunction that prohibits the enforcement of the California law.
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