The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot

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Recommended: Principles in biomedical research ethics

How would you feel if your mother’s cells changed the world of science forever? The book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”by Rebecca Skloot is a book filled with the discoveries of medical mysteries all throughout the 1900’s. I will be talking about the ethics covered in the book, laws against consent of conducting research, and the science behind it all. First, I believe that doing medical procedures without being given the consent to do so is a serious issue that is very wrong because that could be jeopardizing somebody's whole life without them even being aware of what is being done. “With Henrietta unconscious on the operating table in the center of the room, Dr. Lawrence sat between her legs. He peered inside her, dilated her cervix,

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    All I can say is amazing information of your glorious and late Henrietta Lacks. This incedible women bettered our society in ways no common human could understand at the time because of how complex this matter was and still very much indeed is. I know there is much contraversy with the matter of how scientists achived immortal cells from your late relative, and I do strongly agree with the fact that it was wrong for these researches to take advantage of this incredible women, but I know it is not for me to say nonethless it must be said that even though it was wrong to take Lacks’ cells when she was dying sometimes one must suffer to bring joy to the entire world.

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    In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot describes the case of John Moore, a man with Leukemia, who had his spleen removed. The doctor who did this surgery not only stole his cells but also sold them and made money off of them. The doctor did not inform John of his intentions. John’s cells now have a value of 3 billion dollars due to how valuable they are. When John found out about his doctor’s intentions he took to the doctor to court. The court informed John that everything the doctor did was under informed consent so it was found legal. The judge “rejected his suit because Moore did not have property interest in the cell line developed by his doctor and that his rights to privacy and dignity were sufficiently protected by doctrine of informed consent”(Devine) Today, due to that court case, patients who have any surgeries must sign a paper giving

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  • Essay On The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

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    The novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is written by Rebecca Skloot. This novel provides a real story regarding research using human tissue without patient’s consent. It gives the background of Henrietta Lacks and the achievements HeLa cells established to point out how fallacious it is for doctors to take the cells without asking. Through the unique pattern and devices, Skloot expresses her sympathy for the right of consent of medical research.

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  • Book Review: The Immoral Life of Henrietta Lacks

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    Imagine having a part of your body taken from you without your permission, and then having those cells that are a part of your body grow and are being processed in labs around the world and then ultimately being used for the highest of research. That is what happens to Henrietta Lacks. In the book, The Immoral Life of Henrietta Lacks, we see Henrietta Lacks and her families story unravel, the numerous hardships that they faced, and the shocking revelation that their relative cells were being used for research without her consent and theirs.

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  • The Immortal Life of Herietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

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    The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot is a story of science, religion and the life of the Henrietta Lacks herself. It has won many awards and was on the New York Best Seller list for over three years. To summarize it briefly, the book is based on the cells of Henrietta Lacks who died of cervical cancer in 1951. Sometime before she died, some of her tissue was sampled and used for research without her permission. They used the cells form her body to experiment on which led to many breakthrough discoveries in the scientific world. The cells were later named HeLa cells. No one in her family knew about this until years after her death, so they felt like she was just being used as an experiment from which they got nothing. When looking at the book as a whole, it is easy to see why so many people hold it in such high regards; however it appealed to me in a different way.

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  • The Immortal Cells

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    In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, multiple cell research studies involving Henrietta’s cells are described. Author Rebecca Skloot writes about Henrietta Lacks’ journey through her cervical cancer and how her cells changed the lives of millions long after her death. Skloot relates the history of cell research, including those studies which were successful and those that were not so successful. It is necessary for the author to include the achievements and disturbing practices of scientists throughout this history to inform readers and focus on the way Henrietta’s cells were used. Truth always matters to readers and Henrietta’s family deserves the truth.

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    Although HeLa cells were a great advancement, they also brought a lot o controversy. Still today, people are trying to figure out if it was right of Dr. Gey to take the cells without her permission. Henrietta’s family also had no idea all of these scientific experiments and advancements were happening with their relatives cells. The Lacks family was very poor and did not receive any money from Henrietta’s cell line. More than twenty years later, her daughter-in-law met someone from the National Cancer Institute who recognized her surname. He told her that he was working with cells from a woman name Henrietta Lacks. The daughter in law recognized this name and told Mrs. Lacks son, “Part of your mother, it’s alive!” (Grady). The family was shocked

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    Rebecca Skloot’s novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks told the story of the injustice done a a young African American woman, and her family. Henrietta’s cancerous cells were taken from her without her consent, and turned out to be immortal. They were sold all over the world for billions of dollars, while her family, struggling to put food on the table, did not receive a penny of it. Rebecca Skloot uncovers the hidden story of the HeLa cells, and provides a novel not only highly informational, but also with insight to the workings of science. This book outlines the process of scientific inquiry, reveals the contrary forces of altruism and profit that influenced HeLa, and the risks and benefits of profit guiding research as well as the obstacles faced when conducting research for purely altruistic reasons.

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    Autonomy is the idea that “rational individuals should be permitted to be self-determining” (pg. 941). In other words, Henrietta Lacks, a rational individual, was not allowed to make a self-determining decision as to if the cells should be removed or not. People act autonomously when their actions are the result of their own choices and decisions. Patients should be able to make autonomous decisions regarding their actions, options, and outcomes. Another example of autonomy being violated is the Tuskegee Syphilis study. In the study “participants were led to believe they were receiving appropriate medical treatment when in fact such treatment was being actively withheld to study the effects of their disease” (pg. 943). In both Lack’s situation and the Tuskegee Syphilis Study, African-American participants were used and all participants were denied the opportunity to decide what happens to his or her body. However, autonomy is more than the freedom of making a decision, “there must be genuine options to choose among” (pg. 943). Overall, if a person does contain a vital part of major medical advancements such as Henrietta Lacks's cells, he or she should not be coerced into giving away his or her body. Since humans are rational individuals they should also be

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    The topic of “informed consent” and the story about Henrietta Lacks is still talked about today in society. Because of Henrietta's lacks issues with John Hopkins Hospital, it has since brought questions to tissue and cell rights. Henrietta Lacks had cervical cancer and doctors at John Hopkins took her cells without her knowledge and discovered that her cells were immortal. A million dollar industry was produced around her cells and she was left struggling to pay bills, penniless from the doctor’s exploitation and scientific discovery. The NIH soon made agreements with the Lacks family, which they agreed to, but many argue against for numerous reasons. Some believe that agreements can never nearly fix the damage that has

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    "Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards" written by Søren Kierkegaard, states the irony which are peoples lives. They have to live their life knowing they can not understand it. The present of a person's life is very confusing, but in the end; he or she will look back and see how all the different events of his or her life fits together like a puzzle. In the memoir (italicizes) Night, by Elie Weisel and the biography (italicizes) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, the veracity of this quote can be proven by irony and repetition. From Elie, the reader sees the repetition and irony of events in which Elie is constantly struggling for his own life and dignity. Through Deborah's struggles the reader see the irony of how scientists

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    Public health is concerned with the total system of healthy conditions and healthy people and not just the eradication of diseases. Public health professionals focus on implementing educational programs, developing policies, administering services, conducting research, and regulating health systems to achieve these goals. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks touches on every aspect of exactly what health professionals focus on and how things have changed since the harvesting of her HeLa cells. The biggest impact that the collection of these cells had on public health was the changing and implementation of policies as well as employing educational programs for every health care professional in the field. The most troubling issue from the Ms Skloot’s novel was the lack of ethical concern shown to Henrietta Lacks and her family members. Neither Henrietta nor any of the family members granted the scientists permission to harvest her cells. Although permission was not needed at this time due to the fact she visited a free health care clinic, it has now paved the way to new policies and regulations put into place, most notably the informed

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  • The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, By Rebecca Skloot

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    While doctors and scientists were making millions of dollars through HeLa research, Henrietta’s family was living in poverty. Lawrence Lacks, Henrietta’s firstborn child, says, “Hopkins say they gave them cells away, but they made millions! It’s not fair! She’s the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can’t we get health insurance?” (pg.168). Someone who disagrees with this standpoint may argue that scientists had been trying for years to develop the perfect culture medium and had a much more hands on experience with the cells (pg.35), therefore, they should be receiving the earnings from any outcomes the HeLa cells may produce. While the scientists were in fact the brains behind the scientific advances, the family should be acknowledged on behalf of Henrietta Lacks. These successes in science would not have been possible without the origin of the cells: Henrietta Lacks. For some of the family, the primary focus was not even the profit. “Since they gone ahead and taken her cells and they been so important for science, Deborah thought, least they can do is give her credit for it.” (pg. 197). Here, Deborah Lacks, Henrietta’s fourth born child, makes it clear that her primary concern is getting her mother the recognition that she deserves for her

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