Racial Discrimination and Health Care

Today’s society protects against discrimination through laws, which have been passed to protect minorities. The persons in a minority can be defined as “a group having little power or representation relative to other groups within a society” (The Free Dictionary). It is not ethical for any person to discriminate based on race or ethnicity in a medical situation, whether it takes place in the private settings of someone’s home or in a public hospital. Racial discrimination, in a medical setting, is not ethical on the grounds of legal statues, moral teachings, and social standings.
In this essay, the position I will argue is that it is not ethical to allow an elderly white man to discriminate against African American health care professionals from entering his home. The African American race is a recognized minority in the United States representing only 13.1% of the population (US Quickfacts). Compared to the Caucasian population holding 77.9% of the population, African American’s are in the minority (US Quickfacts). With the knowledge that the African American race is a minority, they are less represented. Using three outlets to support my position, I will make a case against racial discrimination in a health care environment, specially the elderly white man’s home. First, I will use laws and policies that have been passed to protect against racial discrimination in the United States. Second, I will reference moral teachings to illustrate how legal standing can be supported in ethical decision-making. Lastly, I will argue my position against racial discrimination in a private social environment, such as this elderly man’s home. Through these three examples, I will defend my position that it is not ethical for the elderly white ...

... middle of paper ...

...n Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 14-17. Print.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "’Rights- Based’ Approaches." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 23. Print.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "Rule-Utilitarianism versus Act-Utilitarianism." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 12. Print.
Steinbock, Bonnie, Alex J. London, and John D. Arras. "The Principles Approach." Ethical Issues in Modern Medicine. Contemporary Readings in Bioethics. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 36-37. Print.
"USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau." USA QuickFacts from the US Census Bureau. US Census Bureau, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. .