Minority Students

To the Editor: Dr. Scarpelli comments in current conventional wisdom on the affirmative action programs of medical education (N Engl J Med 292:860–861, 1975). The subject, however, poses problems of a fundamental nature: Is affirmative action, based on racial and ethnic quotas, in accord with the United States Federal Constitution? Is affirmative action fair to students? Is affirmative action honest with itself? And is affirmative action in the interest of the sick? Although the Constitution prohibits distinctions based on race, the United States Supreme Court declined to review a recent case challenging affirmative action on grounds that the case was. . .