Proposition 54 was a measure that Californians were asked to vote on in 2003 that sought to prohibit state and local governments from classifying any individual by race, ethnicity, color, or national origin. An excerpt of an argument in favor of this proposition states that California is the most racially and ethnically diverse state, and that it is the wrong for the government to put a label on Californians based on their ethnic background. The thesis of the argument is that the government should stop categorizing its citizens by color and ancestry. The argument's t main premise is that being asked to state one's race is a means for the government to classify, categorize, and divide the people. The article continues on and states that the …show more content…
Although the goal of Proposition 54 is to prevent racism by prohibiting the government from classifying the people, it will ultimately result in the opposite. As I stated earlier, classification systems now today are used for our own benefit in many ways. Classification systems are used to protect us and our rights, benefit us in the fields of medicine and healthcare, and can be used to in fact stop racism. I would vote against Proposition 54, because it were to be passed, it would hinder our safety and rights, hinder the current advancements being made in the fields medicine and healthcare, and further promote …show more content…
Proposition 54 seeks to have an exemption to collecting data on people in medicine and healthcare as well, but similar to law enforcement, healthcare agencies work along with the government in order to keep track with its citizens. With the government now prohibited from collecting data on people, healthcare is now subjected to having a further difficult task on tracking information on its patients. Proposition 54 only exempts "medical research subjects and patients", but not for medical studies concerning the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in certain populations. Certain health conditions affect individuals differently depending on their ethnic background. Therefore, certain ethnic groups must experience different forms of treatment, and have different rates of risk behaviors. With these restrictions placed, it would hinder the current progress being made in the fields of medicine and healthcare. Former U.S. Surgeon Dr. David Satcher states that "Without that data we could not even begin on a course toward eliminating disparities in health, we would not be able to measure our success or evaluate our objectives toward eliminated