Religious discrimination in the selection of medical students: a case study

Issues in Law & Medicine Spring, 1996

Abstract*

. . .  only applicants opposed to [abortion or sterilization] were subjected to special questioning concerning them. The school claimed that applicants were queried about their only to evaluate a capacity to identify relevant issues, but it is clear that the interviewers' personal biases concerning abortion and sterilization influenced their rating of the candidates.

In 1978 the Department of Health, Education and Welfare surveyed all schools of medicine, nursing and osteopathy in the United States to determine if any would deny admission to or otherwise discriminate against applicants who were reluctant or unwilling to recommend or in any way participate in abortion or sterilization. The Department also asked victims of discrimination to contact the researchers, and organizations aware of such incidents were asked to provide details. It appears that the results of the study were never published.

The present study concerned one of the medical schools that routinely questioned applicants about a hypothetical situation in which a fourteen-year-old unmarried Catholic girl requested an abortion. The cases described are a sampling of the interview reports in a particular admissions year. The school was in a state in which the law required that applicants for medical school should not be denied admission because of their views on abortion.

While there was no official policy at the school related to abortion or sterilization, only applicants opposed to either procedure were subjected to special questioning concerning them. The school claimed that applicants were queried about their only to evaluate a capacity to identify relevant issues, but it is clear that the interviewers' personal biases concerning abortion and sterilization influenced their rating of the candidates. There seemed to be an overall apprehension about any candidate with strong religious belief. It is likely that applicants who opposed abortion or sterilization were disadvantaged by the interview process. Contrary to the school's response to the Department of Health, Education and Welfare survey, there were complaints from applicants concerned about how they had been treated because of their views.

Following complaints by a new dean of admissions and consultation with the university's lawyer, abortion and religion were removed as topics for consideration by the admissions committee. Thereafter, no records were kept of applicants' religious views, nor was discussion permitted of them at committee meetings.

*Provided by Protection of Conscience Project