Counsels on Social Issues

Counsel #23 — Bias in Medicine

Picture: Counsel #23 — Bias in Medicine CSI 41.1

Have you ever sat in the emergency room with someone you love, and you could tell something was seriously wrong? You try to speak up for them, but the doctor barely listens, rushes the exam, and sends them home without answers. Deep down, you’re left wondering if things would have been different if their skin color hadn’t been a factor. CSI 41.2

For millions, especially in Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous communities, racial bias in healthcare is a daily reality, leading to misdiagnoses, higher death rates, and poorer treatment. Too often, healthcare providers make dangerous assumptions about minority patients, believing they exaggerate pain, abuse drugs, won’t follow medical advice, or don’t need the same level of care as those who can afford it.^[80] Even if most don’t want to admit this fact, change starts by understanding the history behind medical mistrust and educating ourselves about ongoing disparities. It means supporting policies that ensure equal access to care, holding healthcare systems accountable, and amplifying the voices of those too often overlooked. It’s not enough to say “the system is broken”—we must be willing to challenge it. CSI 41.3

“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” Proverbs 31:9 NIV CSI 41.4

“All men are of one family by creation, and all are one through redemption. Christ came to demolish every wall of partition…” Ellen White in Prophets and Kings , p. 369 CSI 41.5

Reflect: Have you ever witnessed racial bias in a healthcare setting? CSI 41.6