Contemporary Ethics
The analogy that Mr Lengauer makes really made me think. Lack’s cells, she had
no idea were being used for other scientific reasons, however if she did know would she
had allowed it? Would she have even wanted money from it? Or just the satisfaction of
knowing she was saving millions of lives?
So I think about donating my body to science, if they find something that could
help cure others, is it right that my children benefit monetarily from that? However, then I
think what if I knew I had a cell that could possibly help save lives, would I be selfish
and never let it go any further than being apart of me? I feel like that analogy carried
many different answers and feelings.
Interactions like the one that occurred when a doctor was treating Henrietta with
Radium for the first time while also harvesting cells from her tumor are prohibited under
the law because the doctor did not obtain the patient’s consent. Gey’s growth of
Henrietta’s without her permission would be illegal today as well (Skloot, 2014).
When Mukusick directed Susan Hsu to get blood from Henrietta’s family, she
didn’t’ make sure Day and his children where aware why the blood was even being
obtained, as well as not getting any informed consent. Mukusick’s goal was to find out
what HLA markers Henrietta had. Since that incident the NIG principles for informed
consent and review board approval have been enshrined into law. No scientist today
would publish the results of that research because revealing a person’s name and
genetic information would violate HIPPA.
Part 2 – Contemporary Perspectives
