As the documentary "Unnatural Causes" notes "Recent data suggests that chronic stress associated with being a minority, particularly being African American, for some biological reason, increases the risk of delivering a premature, low birth weight infant." Earlier this month a firestorm erupted over the remarks made by Tim Armstrong, the AOL CEO, concerning the impact caring for "distressed babies" could have on the corporate bottom line
Armstrong received a great deal of criticism, causing him to soften his message and to apologize for any offense he may have caused
However, the criticisms made against Armstrong were often emotionally tinged rather than grounded in fact
Indeed, the facts and the epidemiological studies all point to the fact that caring for premature babies is a costly proposition. The facts and the epidemiological studies also indicate that minorities, especially African Americans, are more likely to have premature babies. If minimizing health care costs is a legitimate business concern, then why would it not be a legitimate factor in the corporate hiring process. After all, all things being equal, the studies now show that there are racially specific disparities in the health prospects of potential employees. Would it not be prudent in the corporate world to take those racial disparities into account in hiring new employees?
It is a Brave New World, a brave new world indeed.
Peace.
