December 17, 2024
Two medical fellowships are being sued by a nonprofit targeting “woke activists.”
Two college scholarships are overseen by the organization claiming they discriminate against white male applicants.
Do No Harm, a non-profit organization that describes itself, as “a national association of medical professionals fighting an assault on our health care system by vigilante activists,” has filed two lawsuits against separate scholarship programs it claims exclusively benefit “underrepresented” minorities; Fox News reports.
One of the lawsuits is against the Society of Military Orthopedic Surgeons (SOMOS) E. Anthony Rankin Fellowship Program on behalf of a DNH member who claims he cannot continue in the fellowship process because he is a white male.
“Member A was offended and concerned that SOMOS would use his race, which he cannot control, to keep him from participating in the program and learning from some of the nation’s most prominent orthopedists serving our nation’s military and veteran communities,” the complaint states.
The lawsuit says the scholarship program is for “underrepresented medical students” and pairs participants with a “US military host” at one of two medical centers. The four-week program offers up to $12,000 during their military service. to cover travel, housing and per diem,” according to a description on the program’s website cited in the documents.
The lawsuit, which also names Defense Health Agency Director Telita Crosland, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and others in their official capacity as defendants, alleges that “in collaboration with SOMOS, a race-based service training program” for students for those who pursue orthopedic surgery, they are violating the Fifth Amendment.
“However, the program excludes white, male applicants,” the complaint states.
DNH seeks a permanent injunction to prevent enforcement of the program’s eligibility requirements and, if necessary, “a preliminary injunction prohibiting the defendants from enforcing the program’s racial requirement.”
DNH also filed a lawsuit on behalf of a member of the University of Colorado’s Underrepresented Minority Visiting Selective Scholarship “who is willing and able to apply for the scholarship” but cannot because of his race, the complaint alleges through the school’s Department of Radiation Oncology as part of an elective visiting rotation.
The application states that the scholarship offers “up to $2,000 in reimbursement for “optional accommodation, travel and related expenses.” Applicants must be enrolled at an accredited institution and in good standing. They are also required to submit a “brief statement of interest.” .
“The scholarship is prioritized based on the applicant’s interest in pursuing a career with underserved populations, service, leadership and academic achievement,” the application states.
However, DNH maintains that the scholarship is intended for individuals from historically disenfranchised communities, even though the scholarship website states that it is “not limited” to specific races.
“But the scholarship is not open to everyone,” the complaint says. The document states that the fellowship states that eligibility is open to those who identify with (y) groups identified as historically underrepresented in medicine, including but not limited to African American/Black, Native American, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, LGBTQ+, or those from a disadvantaged socio-economic background.”
The suit says the DNH member “meets all of the nonracial eligibility requirements” for the scholarship. The nonprofit seeks a declaratory judgment alleging the scholarship violates the Equal Protection Clause and Title VI, and a permanent injunction that “ prohibits defendants from seeing or considering the race of applicants in selecting recipients.”
“Although Member A meets all non-racial eligibility requirements and may be a strong candidate for the scholarship, Member A is ineligible to apply because he is a white, straight male and does not identify as any other ethnicity,” it said. complaint.
DNH lawsuits are part of a broader framework push back Against DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion) initiatives, conservative-led groups are challenging such programs, claiming they discriminate against whites. 6-3 decision to repeal affirmative action, ruling against using race as a factor in college admissions.
In September, the Fearless Foundation, a charity dedicated to closing economic financing gap for black women-owned businesses were targeted and eventually shut down for using race as a criterion to support these businesses.
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