A dentist in Grand Rapids, Mich., has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs.
Kent Wildern, DDS, is challenging a 2021 mandate that required more than 400,000 healthcare professionals to complete two hours of implicit bias training every renewal cycle, according to an April 15 news release from the Pacific Legal Foundation.
The suit argues that it is unconstitutional for the state to use its licensing powers to coerce professionals into choosing between their career and “controversial training they disagree with and is irrelevant to their work,” according to the release
Since September 2024, LARA has fined at least 132 healthcare professionals nearly $76,000 for noncompliance.
Dr. Wildern and the Pacific Legal Foundation aim to reverse the mandate and allow individuals in Michigan to work without the ideological training requirements, the release said.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs did not immediately respond to Becker’s request for comment.
