Examining How Crisis Standards of Care May Lead to Intersectional Medical Discrimination Against COVID-19 Patients
- Document
- Posted on: 03.02.2021
- Author(s):
- Together with Prof. Natalie M. Chin at CUNY Law and Prof. Jasmine Harris at UC Davis School of Law
- Abstract
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Black, Indigenous and People of Color, disabled people, higher weight people,and older adults have historically experienced and continue to experience discrimination by medical professionals. In health care settings, members of these communities face pervasive negative biases and inaccurate assumptions about their value, quality of life, capacity to communicate and make decisions, and likelihood of survival.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, these biases can have serious and even deadly consequences. Such biases may be exacerbated when hospitals are faced with scarce resources and must make decisions about which critically ill patients should receive treatment. The “crisis standards of care” which are used by many states and hospitals to make these decisions, have too often reflected these biases. It is crucial that these standards be tailored to avoid unlawful discrimination.
