Two doctors are suing the Medical Board of California over a state law that forces physicians and those who teach them to accept radical political and racial indoctrination in order to continue practicing medicine.
Assembly Bill 241, signed in October 2019 by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat who supports DEI—diversity, equity, and inclusion—initiatives, requires all doctors in the state to log 50 continuing medical education (CME) hours every two years in order to retain their medical licenses. The left-wing Equal Justice Society, based in Oakland, took credit for drafting the language of the bill.
Supporters say the law is part of an effort to mitigate supposed health care disparities based on race, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, although critics say it constitutes unconstitutional thought control.
Implicit Bias-Related Bills
AB 241 is just one of many implicit bias-related bills that Mr. Newsom has signed in recent years.
Senate Bill 464 mandates implicit bias training for perinatal health care providers in hospitals and birth centers. AB 1407 requires implicit bias training as a graduation requirement for nursing students.
SB 263 requires that real estate brokers and salespeople take implicit bias courses. AB 242 mandates implicit bias training for judges, court personnel, and attorneys.
California isn’t averse to punishing doctors for refusing to toe the official line. AB 2098 penalizes doctors and surgeons for disagreeing with the government’s narrative on the COVID-19 virus, deeming the dissemination of “misinformation or disinformation related” to the virus to be “unprofessional conduct.”
U.S. District Judge William Shubb, who was appointed by former President George H.W. Bush, issued a preliminary injunction in January blocking the law.
‘Freedom’
The legal complaint (pdf) in Khatibi v. Lawson was filed on Aug. 1 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. The plaintiffs are seeking a declaration that the mandate in AB 241 violates the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, as well as a permanent injunction restraining the Medical Board of California from enforcing the mandate.
