I empathize a great deal for Henrietta Lacks and her family. Her story is a perfect example of extreme violation of privacy and injustice. Being a social worker and reading this book made me so upset. One of the most obvious issues in this book is Henrietta did not give permission for doctors to take her cells. Her story is a classic example of the sacrifice the scientific community struggles with in pursuit of the better good, for all. I am not against research and the better good for all. After
How Do You Build A Legacy? We all want to be recognized as more than the merely ordinary and to be distinguished as one who had truly made a difference in society. The name is Henrietta Lacks. However, the world knows her HeLa or Helen Lane. In 1951, she was just a poor black woman diagnosed with cervical cancer, and was treated at the John Hopkins hospital. Then pieces of the tumor cells were taken out of her without her knowledge or consent, and analyzed by Doctor George Gey. Months later, she
Racism has had many consequences on society. People of color were considered inferior to the whites, and therefore, were treated with worse conditions than those of the whites. This included proper health care, and patients’ right to consent. Before slavery and segregation were abolished, many unethical medical experiments were conducted on people of color without their consent. In the 19th and 20th centuries, racial discrimination was more common than ever. Until the abolition of slavery, many African
behavior. There is no doubt that HeLa have helped to improve the lives of millions, but the way in which the original cells were obtained is continuously unsettling. What resounded with me in the novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks were the entwined accounts of Henrietta Lacks' miserable life and her only living daughter Deborah's quest for learning about the mother she never knew. Also there was something else. The passage on the title page of Skloot's book reads, "Doctors took her cells without
Jonathan Cink BGEN 194US Sep, 24 2015 INTRO BLAH BLAH The Use of Lacks’ Cells Was Ethical Henrietta Lacks’ cells were used for the betterment of humanity and society, not solely for the use of some cash grab ploy. The original and overall intentions of the doctors involved were for the advancement of medical research, resulting in the accidental discovery of self-reproducing cells. Rebecca Skloot discusses how the cells were used beneficially, “Her cells were part of research into the genes that
When Henrietta Lacks entered Johns Hopkins Hospital on the 29th of January 1951, she had no idea what a huge impact on the world she would have someday (Skloot, 1). The story of HeLa, the cells from Henrietta, is one of the most controversial topics in science. What defines ethics and legality is constantly evolving and has been for years, therefore it is hard to compare Henrietta’s case to current rules. While the ethics and integrity of the Doctors working on Henrietta’s case can be questioned
medical field was Henrietta Lacks. Her cells, HeLa cells, were used to save countless lives from the 20th century till present day. HeLa cells are responsible for revolutionizing the medical field as the cells helped develop the polio vaccine, cloning and various cancer treatments. The cells modeled either as human normal cells or cancer cells. Rebecca Skloot’s work of history, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, illustrates how the medical and journalistic world exploited Henrietta and her family
Racism in the United States began in the 1400’s and continues till this day. Henrietta Lacks was a young African American women from Virginia who dealt with racial discrimination her whole life. She feels pain on the lower area of her body and soon finds out that she officially has cervical cancer. Every hospital stated that they could not help her since she was black. Once she found a hospital that is semi-supportive to blacks, the doctors remove her cells without her consent. Eventually the doctors
The most influential form of motivation I drew on to choose this thesis is from Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From Birmingham Jail, a letter which defends the civil rights movement and specifically the march on Birmingham to a critic of King’s (King). “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” a quote from page one of Letter From Birmingham Jail, is the line that really caught my mind and convinced me to ponder the root cause of injustice, when I reached the conclusion that ignorance
Victor Francque English III 2B Mr. Magnafici 7 September Theodor Seuss Geisel Thesis: Throughout his life Theodor Geisel had always shown his love for writing and drawing and eventually followed his dreams by helping America's youth to both learn and enjoy doing so through his books for years to come. Outline: I) Early life A) Childhood 1) German Ancestors 2) Father owned Brewery B) College 1) Darmouth College 2) Part of writing club a) got in trouble i) Told to stop extra curricular