Legal implications of discrimination in medical practice

摘要

Recent medical studies have indicated that medical professionals discriminate in their treatment practices on the basis of race and gender. Among the many concerns stemming from this realization are questions about the possibility of legal actions and the availability of individual compensation for the denial of equal care. By meeting legal evidentiary standards [1], the recent statistical data pointing to discriminatory trends have created the potential for legal recourse through Title VI of the Civil Rights Act [2] which prohibits recipients of federal funding from treating people differently on the basis of race or national origin. Nevertheless, it remains unclear whether patients who have been treated unequally will be able to use these studies as a basis for successful legal action.