AMA Plan to Fight Racism Criticized by Some Members

The American Medical Association is facing backlash from some of its members over a plan to fight racism and bias in medicine.

The opponents, including some White Southern delegates, contend the plan amounts to reverse discrimination, the Associated Press reported. It is being discussed at the annual AMA policymaking meeting. The six-day session, which began last Friday, is being held virtually.

The plan was announced last month and acknowledges that there is racism and White privilege in the medical establishment, which have contributed to health disparities highlighted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the AP reported.

A leaked draft letter from opponents to AMA executives criticizes the plan as "divisive, accusatory, and insulting," but Gerald Harmon, M.D., the incoming AMA president, told the AP the "plan is not up for debate."