Henrietta Lacks Analysis

Since the beginning of the science and technology era, the impact of technology on humanity and society has been growing. New technologies are also emerging, which means that we should be responsible for what we are developing. Therefore, when we develop a new technology, we should respect ethics and take care of all the damage caused.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is about her family, and the untold story of Henrietta’s cells. The author describes John Hopkins hospitals history of taking advantage of black patients as: “Back then they did things,” Sonny said. “Especially to black folks. John Hopkins was known as for experimentin on black folks. They’d snatch em off the street…” (pg, 165). The book is about ethical and legal reason to share Henrietta story in the world. In the 1950’s, the “Hopkins say they gave them cells away,” one of Henrietta’s son says. “She’s the most important person in the world and her family living poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can’t we get health insurance?” (Pg, 168). Race plays a role of patient

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a non-fiction book, and sometimes impersonal, like when the author is talking about the medical facts of Henrietta's cells. However, it is also very personal at times, like when she's talking about the Lacks family. In one scene (pgs. 283-285), the author chooses to swear in her narration and it makes the scene very powerful.

After reading the story of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, I was astounded by the acts of the doctors in this book. Their research, advanced medicine and saved the lives of many people. However, what was the cost of these advances? The doctors did studies on patients without their knowledge and disregarded their patient’s privacy. They exploited people’s grieve and fear and found loopholes in informed consent to get what they wanted. Although, these doctors did what they did for the sake of science, research, and humanity, it is scary to think that only 65 years ago, what these doctors did was not considered unethical.

What does it mean to be immortal? The word immortal means to live on forever, never dying or ceasing to exist. In the book "The immortal life of Henrietta lacks," Rebecca Skloot writes about how Henrietta's cells have been living long after Henrietta herself died, making the cells what one calls immortal. Both spiritual and literal immortality is being presented to the reader throughout the book. As one reads deeper into the book, they find that immortality is one of the major themes concerning the cells, Deborah, and the story that ties it all together.

The end of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks leaves the reader reeling with anger at the unfairness that the family has had to endure, and the fact that yet another generation has passed away with no resolution to their suffering. The book focuses on helping the Lacks family finally understand and come to terms with their misconceived beliefs surrounding their mother's death and the scientists who “stole” her cells. The book’s main source is Henrietta's daughter, Deborah. Deborah has spent much of her life obsessing over and being haunted by her mother’s cells; this book was her opportunity to show the world the women behind the famous HeLa cells and to get the justice that the family deserves. After forming an incredibly strong bond with

I can understand both sides of the story from the scientist point of view, and the Lacks family point of view. I recognize how Henrietta’s cells have made such a wonderful influence in the medical field, but I also see why her family would be very upset. I completely understand why the family would have every right to be upset because Gey did not have permission to take her cells. At the same time I see how her cells helped out so many different things. They even cured Polio with Henrietta’s cells. If Gey never took Henrietta's cells they never would have cured Polio. But in the end Im very disappointed with the fact the doctors didn't have permission and were so surreptitious. I would be more than happy to choose the scientist side if

SCIENTIFIC PROCESS- the scientific process is a way to make sure that your experiment can give a good answer to your question. We use observations, hypotheses, predictions, experimentation, and conclusions.

As human, people are supposed to be born with certain inalienable rights that everyone is entitled. One of these is the right to human dignity, which everyone should have. Yet, there are occasions where humans have been robbed of their rights as human beings just because they have had the misfortune to die. The concept of an inalienable right is the basis for the American constitution and should include rights to the body as well as the spirit. The case of Henrietta Lacks was a milestone for medical research and has potentially led to curatives for many illnesses both in the United States and around the world. However, the woman behind this research was never aware of her remarkable body, nor was her family members allowed to reap any of the benefits of their lost relation. Henrietta Lacks went to the doctor because she was ill. She was found to have terminal cancer and eventually died from her illness. During her treatment, cells from her body were taken. They were found to be mutagenic, or different because of a mutation from normal human cells. The story of Henrietta Lacks is one where human beings have to question where the line draws on their rights. In this case, researchers did not have consent to take her cells nor did they protect her dignity by providing her with doctor-patient confidentiality. In Rebecca Skloot's non-fiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, the author writes about the woman of the title whose cells were

People should not be seen as an experiment or number; individuals deserve to be treated as a person regardless of race or color. In the book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Henrietta, was never given her own rights, and was used to benefit others. Scientists and researchers profited millions from the HeLa cell line, leaving Henrietta unaware of the legacy she left behind. Henrietta had tough up brining, and was a woman who was more concerned about other people than herself. The media and scientific community are responsible for treating and viewing Henrietta and her family as abstractions. The author, Rebecca Skloot’s perception can be interpreted and trusted by the amount of research, countless sources, and examples showing the family’s lack of understanding and knowledge about everything in relation to HeLa cells and the medical world.

In part three of the novel, a major topic was about the Lacks family and the effect that their mother’s cells had on their lives. One geneticist named Susan Hsu believed that the Lacks family should be proud of their mother. It was very unethical to take Henrietta Lacks cells without her consent because she had no idea that someone would be using her body all over the world. This is similar to the case of John Moore because they took his tissues and used them all over California. John Moore was luckier to plead his case though because he remained alive for many years after the tissue was taken. The family of Henrietta Lacks should not hold a grudge against the doctors forever because they know that her mother did good to help save the lives of many people with sicknesses. They are benefiting from her cells as well because of the medicine her cells were able to be tested on and make. Deborah took many pills and acknowledged that they were most likely made due to her mothers’ cells. Zakariyya, on the other hand, wanted to benefit with the aspects of money and being able to live in a decent home since his mother’s cells helped science in significant ways.

Identifying and Interpreting Ethical Dilemmas Introduction: Henrietta Lacks, the name, the person that should resonate in the heart of others. Her cells were taken from which became known as HeLa. After HeLa soon became a mass production and widely distributed without her families knowledge. Through this paper we will mention Henrietta’s case to get more information about her to help us investigate and to determine whether taking the cells of Henrietta was ethical through the perspectives of a functionalist and a conflict theorist. Ethical Issues and Theoretical Perspective 1: Henrietta Lacks, born on the first in August 1920 only lived for 31 years.

●Although there are many social injustices presented in the novel by Rebecca Skloot, we felt that the most pressing issue was prejudices and imbalance of racial power in the medical field. This is the most relevant issue because it is the source of the confusion Henrietta’s family endured for decades, and almost more importantly, it is why Henrietta’s body was taken advantage of initially. We plan to address the countless instances in the novel of this cruel misuse, as well as point out how this issue is still haunting the lives of others today. ●Then: Hospitals were split into colored wards, and often times those of color were not given the best care, as well as their medical files were not confidential.

Almost all physicians complete at least 4 years in an undergraduate school, then 4 years of medical school, and 3-8 years in an internship and residency programs. The only thing that gives me doubts about going into a career in medicine is the amount of time you’re in school, because then once you get out school I’ll will have to go into either an internship or a residency program for a good amount of years before I will be able just to go out and find the job I’m looking

Albert Einstein, a renowned scientist, once said, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." Tension between religious faith and science will exist; however, the importance of them coexisting is also valued. Science without moral values can be twisted like the Nazi experiments. Religion also needs sensibility, or else it will become factitious. In the book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, religious faith helps frame the Lackses' response to, and interpretation of, the scientific information they receive about HeLa. Thus, faith and science can exist in unison.