Argument Against Hela Cell Research

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Henrietta Lacks, a poor tobacco farmer was diagnosed with cervical cancer a year before her passing. In 1951 Lacks was the unwilling donor of cells from her cancerous tumor. These cells were the first immortal cell line cultured by George Gey.This is known as the “HeLa” cell line which has been used countless times for medical research. Although Henrietta was able to get cancer treatment as a black woman in this time it is still unfair how her family not only suffered but did not know that the cells were taken from her without consent.The importance behind this is that HeLa cells are one of the biggest contributions to medical history and it has taken 60 plus years to give some kind of recognition to Henrietta and her family simply because …show more content…

But who gets to decide whether Henrietta wants to give her cells for testing or not? Would she mind strangers profit from her cells? It is Henrietta's body and choice yet someone else made an executive decision to remove something from her body without permission and then released her genetic information to doctors all over the world.Then the HeLa cell line became a multi billion dollar industry while Henrietta's family got nothing. The doctors taking Henrietta's cells was like the opening of pandora's box. It would have been simple to ask and explain why they wanted her cells but they know that because she was a black woman if she questioned the way they were treating her they could refuse or give her terrible service. Solely because hospitals where blacks were allowed were limited hence they could get away with nearly anything. Rebecca Skloot, writer of The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks points out “Though no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting a sample or asked if she wanted to be a donor Wharton [Lawrence Wharton Henrietta's gynecologist at John hopkins hospital] picked up a sharp knife and shaved of two dime size pieces of tissue from Henrietta's cervix”. Not only would Henrietta have to had

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