I could hardly believe my eyes when I read a recent memorandum from the New York State Department of Health. There, brazenly written down in black and white, was a directive that healthcare providers and facilities prioritize New Yorkers of “non-white race[s]” when distributing lifesaving treatments for COVID-19.
In the name of equity, New Yorkers are now supposed to receive different levels of healthcare, as determined not by need but by a race-based hierarchy. The reasoning behind this directive is that “longstanding systemic health and social inequities have contributed to an increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19.” It is as if equal protection under the law no longer exists or the 14th Amendment never passed. Policies like this are not only unconstitutional and illegal, but they are moving our nation backward.
