WASHINGTON, DC – – On Friday, citing “legal concerns,” the State of Utah’s Department of Health announced the elimination of policies that directed the rationing of medical treatment for COVID-19 based on race. This announcement comes after America First Legal (AFL) sent a letter threatening legal action against the Department of Health for including race and ethnicity in its risk calculator–the effect of which denied medical treatment to residents of Utah based only on their race or ethnicity, despite having otherwise identical risk factors. 

While the new guidelines have removed the problematic criteria, we will be closely watching the Department of Health’s administration of the program to ensure that it is done in a manner consistent with the law and Constitution. 

AFL is proud to stand with the people of Utah and fight for every citizen’s constitutional right to be free from discrimination based on the color of their skin. No government should attempt to establish a racial hierarchy for the allocation of life-saving medicine, and we will continue to stand for equal rights for all citizens.