If You Would Not Criminalize Poverty, Do Not Medicalize It

William M Sage1, Jennifer E Laurin1

  • 1William M. Sage, M.D., J.D., is James R. Dougherty Chair for Faculty Excellence in the School of Law and Professor of Surgery and Perioperative Care in the Dell Medical School, both at the University of Texas at Austin. A member of the National Academy of Medicine, Professor Sage holds an undergraduate degree from Harvard College, medical and law degrees from Stanford University, and an honorary doctorate from Universite Paris Descartes. Jennifer E. Laurin, J.D., is Wright C. Morrow Professor of Law at the University of Texas School of Law. Professor Laurin holds an undergraduate degree from Earlham College, and a law degree from Columbia Law School.

Summary

American society often treats social issues like poverty through medical or criminal justice systems. This approach, particularly criminalization, has negative consequences that argue against its continued medicalization.

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