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Civil Rights Law and the Determinants of Health: How Some States Have Utilized Civil Rights Laws to Increase Protections Against Discrimination

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2021

Dawn Pepin  and
Samantha Bent Weber
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Abstract

One fundamental barrier to eliminating health disparities, particularly with regard to the determinants of health, is the persistence of discrimination. Civil rights law is the primary legal mechanism used to address discrimination. Federal civil rights laws have been the subject of wider analyses as a determinant of health as well as a tool to address health disparities. The research on state civil rights laws, while more limited, is growing. This article will highlight a few examples of how some states are using civil rights laws to combat discrimination, particularly in more expansive ways and in the interest of new populations, presenting tools that can target determinants and address the goal of reducing health disparities.

Type
Symposium Articles
Information
Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics , Volume 47 , Issue S2: 2018 Public Health Law Conference: Health Justice: Empowering Public Health and Advancing Health Equity , Summer 2019 , pp. 76 - 79
Copyright
Copyright © American Society of Law, Medicine and Ethics 2019

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