Bad Science Leads To Bad Law, Bad Government

In a recent Supreme Court case regarding preferential admissions to medical school, the Association of American Medical Colleges submitted a brief favoring such admissions. To support their argument, they referred to a study purporting to show that if high-risk Black newborns were cared for by a Black doctor, their chances of survival doubled.

This could mean either (1) Black physicians are more skillful, or (2) White physicians are more prejudiced, or (3) both of the above.

But it is unnecessary to find an explanation for the great discrepancy in survival of Black newborns, because it does not exist. Careful review of the data shows that extremely low birth-weight babies were more likely to be cared for by White doctors. That is, White doctors were more likely to care for the sickest babies, so of course they had worse results.

But this was not an error. Reviewers found evidence that the authors of the study knew they were presenting an unfounded conclusion, but did so anyway to further the narrative of affirmative action. And the Supreme Court took this unfounded – not to say fraudulent – conclusion into consideration when rendering its decision.

Bad science leads to bad law and bad government. If an accountant “cooks the books,” he or she risks prison. But what if a scientist “cooks the books”? Will we reach the point that a scientist is awarded not the Nobel Prize, but a culinary medal?

Major Infant-Mortality Study Was Edited to Preserve Racial ‘Perspective’