The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
This nonfiction book The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks was written by Rebecca Skloot. Skloot gives us a glimpse of the life of a young African American woman Henrietta Lacks as she briefly went through the healthcare system with cervical cancer in the 1950s. While Henrietta is the main character of this book, Skloot also highlighted the racial disparities in the healthcare sector and other industries at the time and painting a vivid picture of dying communities and the struggles of the descendants of Henrietta Lacks. Although, a lot of the book is about Henrietta Lacks, it is also about her daughter Deborah learning more about her mother and finding out the truth about her aunt Elsie. Henrietta was a mother of five who sort medical attention …show more content…
And although, these privacy protections did not cover genetic information, 12 years later congress passed the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA) to fill the gap. (Stump) The National Institute of Health’s (NIH) now requires strict ethical standards including informed consent from all researchers seeking funding. These are steps in the right direction but just like anyone working in the medical field would tell you, there is still more to be done to ensure complete patient privacy and informed consent is the norm in every branch within the medical community. Whereas it took many years for the medical community to acknowledge the violations and origin of Henrietta’s cells it reassuring to see the progress that has been made to stamp out bad ethical behaviors. In the United States today, ethical requirements now include non-maleficence, (not harming), beneficence (benefiting or doing good); autonomy (the patient has the right to choose or refuse medical treatment); and, justice (patients are treated impartially, without bias on account of gender, race, sexuality and wealth). Also reassuring is that a lot of effort is being made to safeguard the interest of Henrietta’s descendants and as a result, all NIH funded research on HeLa cells can only be published with the approval from a board that includes two of her
Henrietta Lacks: Sued To Share Profits From His Cells
1147 Words | 5 PagesHenrietta Lacks John Moore was a leukemia patient that died at the age of 56 years old. He had his spleen removed because with the infection the doctor was worried that it was going to explode. Once his spleen was removed the tissue was then used in research by Dr. David Golde a researcher for UCLA (John Moors, 56; Sued to Share Profits from His Cells). John was never told about the research being done on his tissues, he was just asked by Dr. Golde to return to the UCLA medical center for follow up checkups, where doctors would take blood every time and still never mentioned anything about research to John.
Henrietta Lacks Ethical Issues
920 Words | 4 PagesWhen it comes to caring for patients, we as nurse code to guide us in ethical decision making, According to the Code of Ethics for Nurses "each patient has the right to make an informed decision regarding their participation in research. As an advocate for the patient, nurses have a responsibility to ensure that patients are presented with information about any research being performed to the extent that an informed decision can made". Henrietta Lacks was not given this right, that is never okay, for any
Immortal Cells: Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
386 Words | 2 PagesHenrietta Lacks, also known as HeLa, is the woman with the immortal cells. Those famous cells eventually would lead to breakthroughs in studies about leukemia, influenza, Parkinson's disease, etc. However, the other side of the story is hardly known. Rebecca Skloot and Deborah Lacks, Henrietta’s daughter, work together to find the unethical methods in which the Lacks family was treated.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1263 Words | 6 PagesTIC673 HeLa Assignment 2018 In one of the best seller novel, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” the author Rebecca Skloot describes about the first human immortal cells that lived in laboratory culture and about the story of black, 31-year-old woman from whom these cells were obtained. The cells which not only proved to be most important in the field of medicine but also brought medical revolution were obtained from her without her or her family’s knowledge leading to the most debatable ethical issues. The following essay would describe the cell’s contribution to science, how they were obtained and some of the ethical issues violated. Henrietta’s cells did much good for the society.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
722 Words | 3 PagesRebecca skloot, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, spent almost a decade gathering research in order to display Henrietta Lacks’s true story in writing. Skloot first found out about Henrietta Lack’s in her science college course at the age of sixteen. After hearing a brief description of Henrietta, with very little information, Skloot had some questions for her professor. When Skloot’s professor did not have any answers for her regarding Henrietta, she decided to take it upon herself to find out everything she could about Henrietta and her family. Skloot dedicated her life to researching Henrietta and the Lack’s family when there was no information about them.
Henrietta Lacks Cells Alive For Medical Industry Benefits
1326 Words | 6 PagesLacks’ Cells Alive for Medical Industry Benefits The story of Henrietta Lacks in this reading is fascinating. By using Ms. Lacks’ cells, medical science has developed many cures. By one woman contributing her cells decades ago without her knowledge, on an involuntary basis, the impact has become mind-boggling. At the same time, it is disheartening and shaming to know that Henrietta’s family was unable to pay for medical attention for her.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1217 Words | 5 PagesAfter her death in 1951, for six decades, the name Henrietta Lacks was not a recognized name in the eyes of the society, but cells containing her DNA did. HeLa Cells are the first immortal human cells, cancerous cells taken from Henrietta’s cervix never die, in fact they multiply every twenty-four hours. After spending 10 years to perfect her first book, author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot encapsulated the life, the death, and aftermath of Henrietta Lacks’ life. Throughout her book, Rebecca Skloot takes the reader on an extraordinary journey through the lens of the Lacks family, dealing with controversial issues regarding science, ethics, race, and class. The journey of the Lacks families started in Henrietta’s hometown Clover, Virginia then progressed to the “colored” ward of
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
484 Words | 2 PagesSince the 2010 release of Rebecca Skloot’s New York Times bestselling non-fiction book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, many people both in and outside the scientific community are at least aware of the story of Henrietta Lacks and HeLa cells . The almost-mythical tale of the immortal HeLa cell line, taken from Henrietta Lacks’s cancer-ridden cervix and grown in culture for more than sixty years now, has evolved and spread throughout the scientific and popular imaginary , surfacing in accounts of the miraculous power and possibility of scientific research and debates surrounding medical ethics . While HeLa was used to develop the polio vaccine, continues to be of use in the research of AIDS, leukemia, Parkinson’s disease, and a host of other medical conditions, and even sent up in the first space missions to test the conditions of human cells in zero gravity, the cell line also carries with it the history of the woman in whom it originated, the history of slavery and racism in America, and the entanglement of race, gender, class, and sexuality in the sciences.
Henrietta Lacks Speech
249 Words | 1 PagesBefore I start my discussion, I would like to thank Henrietta Lacks for her cells even though they were taken without her consent and also thank the Lacks’ family for their patience in dealing with this issue of not being told about the use of the Henrietta’s cells. Neither Henrietta nor her family got recognition for them. This story tells us how far we have come in this day and age in terms of privacy information and what people can and cannot do because of HIPPA. It was common practice to use people’s information and cells without their consent.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1150 Words | 5 PagesSome family members still want to sue the people gaining money from HeLa, but others simply want people to see who Henrietta was (327-328). Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter, told Skloot, “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna go into history, you can’t do it with a hate attitude. You got to remember, times was different. (276)” So many advances have been made in science and medicine that the majority of people on the Earth have been affected by HeLa cells at least on time in their lives.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1480 Words | 6 PagesIn her book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot reveals how Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman diagnosed with cervical cancer, was exploited by the medical community for the development of the immortal “HeLa” cells that have since become the most widely used cells for medical research and advancement from the 20th century to the present day. The HeLa cells have since led to the formulation of the polio vaccination along with groundbreaking research on diseases such as AIDS, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and possible treatments for various forms of cancer in humans (Zielinski). However, this breach of medical ethics in regards to removing Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge or consent has led to questions
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
631 Words | 3 PagesIn “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot , African Americans were racialy segergated , tested on without consent, and how the lack of education effected African Americans because it allowed them to get taken advantage of.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1331 Words | 6 PagesHenrietta’s Story- One of Great Miracles History is made everyday by everyone; however, some become more prominent in it than others. Whether this be through their actions or their beliefs, it influences generations to come. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot begins when a young African-American mother, friend, and wife made an enormous contribution to science and medicine. Yet, this incredible journey all started in a time when Jim Crow laws were still in place, and racial slurs were thrown out daily; an abhorrent era where not all were seen as equivalent with equal rights. In a time where racism was very prevalent, not all history made during this time reflected that view.
The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
772 Words | 4 PagesInequality has been around since the stone age and continues to make its presence known today. Rebecca Skloots book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is an example of the inequality shown to African-Americans in the medical world. Specifically, the unequal medical care Henrietta Lacks received, which many other black women experienced as well. In her book, Skloot suggests that African-American women suffer from psychological effects after receiving unequal medical care, do not receive equal medical treatment, and are more likely to die from maternal complications. Researchers agree, stating that these are common occurrences in the medical industry.
Henrietta Lacks And Ethics
462 Words | 2 PagesThe origination of HeLa cells, used in biomedical research for a potential cure for cancer, had made many ground breaking discoveries in science; all thanks to one woman, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks. The history of Mrs. Lacks’s contribution to these studies raised many ethical issues concerning healthcare practice. In the short film, The Way of All Flesh, we learn how these cells were revealed by direct violation of ethical principles. During the 1950s, matters regarding informed consent practices were in their beginning stages of implementation.
More about The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
Henrietta Lacks: Sued To Share Profits From His Cells
1147 Words | 5 PagesHenrietta Lacks Ethical Issues
920 Words | 4 PagesImmortal Cells: Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
386 Words | 2 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1263 Words | 6 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
722 Words | 3 PagesHenrietta Lacks Cells Alive For Medical Industry Benefits
1326 Words | 6 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1217 Words | 5 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
484 Words | 2 PagesHenrietta Lacks Speech
249 Words | 1 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1150 Words | 5 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1480 Words | 6 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
631 Words | 3 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
1331 Words | 6 PagesThe Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks By Rebecca Skloot
772 Words | 4 PagesHenrietta Lacks And Ethics
462 Words | 2 Pages