The College Fix

OPINION: Next time Trump freezes spending, he needs to look at these studies

President Donald Trump’s brief pause on some federal grants threatened “science,” the media outlets and politicians said.

But a decent chunk of federal funding ostensibly meant for “science” goes to niche research topics with preconceived notions about racism – like its effect on dying kids with cancer.

For example, the National Cancer Institute awarded $661,845 on Jan. 15 to a study titled “Unpacking Structural Racism in Quality End-of-Life Care for Children With Cancer.”

The Public Health Relevance Statement asserts:

Structural racism affects all aspects of health in the United States; better understanding the role of structural racism in disparities in end-of-life care for children with cancer will not only improve care for children with cancer but can also shed light on how structural racism shapes care in other areas.

There is really no reason the study can’t simply look at improving end-of-life care for all kids with cancer. It’d be hard to imagine a more sympathetic group for research funding.

But the study must focus on racism, even if it is questionable if the disparities racial minority kids reportedly face are bad.

“Black and Hispanic children with cancer are more likely to receive medically intense [end of life] care (e.g., intubation at EOL) than non-Hispanic White children,” the abstract states.

Parents should be able to reject aggressive interventions with minimal chance of prolonging life meaningfully. At the same time, no patient should be deprived of basic aid like food and water.

But it is not clear how doctors trying to prolong someone’s life is a form of “structural racism.” In fact, the higher rates of intubation might be an indicator black and Hispanic parents are simply advocating for their kids and asking for aggressive interventions – something “equity” proponents want.

For example, a “health equity” researcher reported that “Black Americans are taking more medical decisions into their own hands,” as a way to respond to racism. This is good – people should have agency over their health decisions.

The disparities could also be tied to the high rates of religiosity in these populations and their opposition to euthanasia or anything that seems like giving up on life.

Another problem with labeling all disparities as “racism,” as explicitly called for with an “anti-racist” approach, is that medical professionals cannot agree on some issues, like if opioids are good or not.

Instead of first trying to reach a conclusion on how and when to prescribe opioids, studies jump to claiming racism any time there are disparities in either direction.

For example, another National Cancer Institute study, funded last year, looked at how “racism undermines equitable pain management,” specifically focusing on how “[c]ancer patients of color receive less potent analgesics than White patients, and consequently experience more severe and debilitating pain.”

The study promised to use “an explicitly anti- racism framework.”

But another study, also funded by the National Cancer Institute, warned of “racial disparities” in opioid prescriptions because black female cancer patients were being prescribed the drugs at higher rates, which had some negative side effects.

These disagreements ultimately expose the flaws in “anti-racism” theory, which argues any disparities between racial groups is proof of racism.

The problem is “anti-racism” applies a social theory to a scientific issue, when the medical community needs to first address the pros and cons of opioids. The basis of moral philosophy is what is “good,” as Aristotle would teach us. But the scientific community has not established if, or when, opioids are “good,” though it is already jumping to claim any disparities are proof of racism.

In the meantime, let’s freeze the funding for studies that purport to advance medicine but are more akin to political opinion writing.

MORE: New research identifies more than 1,100 DEI related jobs at UMich

IMAGE: Dragen Zigic/Getty Images

Like The College Fix on Facebook / Follow us on Twitter