Henrietta’s cells (more commonly known as HeLa cells), were taken without her consent when she was being treated for cervical cancer and were considered to be immortal; unlike most other cells, they lived and grew continuously in culture.
Would Henrietta Lacks have given consent?
In the 1950s, when Henrietta Lacks was hospitalized, the U.S. health system had no established practices for informing or obtaining consent from patients when retrieving cell or tissue samples for research purposes, nor were there any regulations on the use of patients’ cells in research.
What things did Henrietta’s family consent to?
But Henrietta Lacks, who was poor, black and uneducated, never consented to her cells’ being studied.
A Family Consents to a Medical Gift, 62 Years Later
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Where are Henrietta Lacks cells taken without her consent?
In 1951, Henrietta Lacks, a Black mother of five who was dying of cervical cancer, went to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for treatment. Without her knowledge or consent, doctors removed a sample of cells from the tumor in her cervix.
Do you think Henrietta would have given explicit consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research if she had been asked why or why not explain your answer?
I think Henrietta would have given consent to have a tissue sample taken, since Deborah said she would like helping lots of people. However, since Henrietta didn’t study science in school, she might not fully understand what was asked of her.
Did Henrietta Lacks consent to her cells being used?
Henrietta’s cells (more commonly known as HeLa cells), were taken without her consent when she was being treated for cervical cancer and were considered to be immortal; unlike most other cells, they lived and grew continuously in culture.
Can cells be taken without consent?
If a researcher takes tissues specifically for research and the “donor’s” name is attached, federal law requires informed consent. But if the tissue is taken for some other purpose—a routine biopsy or a fetal blood test—as long as the patient’s identity is removed from the sample, consent isn’t required.
Did George Gey meet Henrietta?
There is no record of George Gey visiting Henrietta in the hospital or tell her about her cells. One of his colleagues claims that Gey visited Henrietta and told her that her cells would save lives.
When was informed consent established?
Informed consent is not an ancient concept with a rich medical tradition. The term informed consent first appeared in 1957, and serious discussion of the concept began only around 1972.
How much are HeLa cells worth?
Today, Skloot says, a vial of HeLa cells can be purchased online for about $250 a vial.
Is it ethical to use HeLa cells?
Some have called for a reduction in the use of HeLa cells in research, or even an end to their use entirely. The argument is that, because the cells were obtained without Lacks’s knowledge or consent (even though this was legal at the time), any use of them is unethical and perpetuates an injustice.
What is one ethical problem with how HeLa cells have been obtained and used over the last few decades?
9) What is one ethical problem with how HeLa cells have been obtained and used over the last few decades? they have been extremely useful there is a controversy around the use of HeLa cells. Henrietta Lacks never gave permission to have her cells collected or used in this way.
What made Henrietta Lacks cells so special?
Why are her cells so important? Henrietta’s cells were the first immortal human cells ever grown in culture. They were essential to developing the polio vaccine. They went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to cells in zero gravity.
What is Henrietta not told about during her first treatment?
What is Henrietta not told about during her “first treatment” (pp. 32–33)? Henrietta is not told that tissue samples will be taken from her cervix. Skloot writes that while “no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a donor . . .
Did Johns Hopkins profit from HeLa cells?
Although these were the first cells that could be easily shared and multiplied in a lab setting, Johns Hopkins has never sold or profited from the discovery or distribution of HeLa cells and does not own the rights to the HeLa cell line.
How did doctors justify using patients in public hospital wards as medical research subjects without obtaining their consent or offering them financial compensation?
How did the doctors justify using patients in public hospital wards as medical research subjects without obtaining their consent or offering them financial compensation? Doctors believed that since patients were treated for free in public wards, it was fair to use them as research subjects as a form of payment.
What is the nurses role in informed consent?
Participating in Obtaining Informed Consent
The nurse is responsible and accountable for the verification of and witnessing that the patient or the legal representative has signed the consent document in their presence and that the patient, or the legal representative, is of legal age and competent to provide consent.
What is meant by informed consent?
Listen to pronunciation. (in-FORMD kun-SENT) A process in which patients are given important information, including possible risks and benefits, about a medical procedure or treatment, genetic testing, or a clinical trial.
How did Henrietta Lacks family find out about her cells?
For decades, Lacks’s family was kept in the dark about what happened to her cells. In 1973, the family learned the truth when scientists asked for DNA samples after finding that HeLa had contaminated other samples.
Do my cells belong to me?
Individuals often give up their ownership rights, without even realizing it, when they agree to the terms and conditions on social media platforms or some apps. And court cases like Moore v. Regents of University of California (1990) have ruled that an individual does not actually own their own biological cells.
Did George Gey profit from HeLa cells?
Gey didn’t profit from the cells and was not motivated by greed or conscious racism, he still violated Henrietta’s right to bodily autonomy and the Lacks family’s right to privacy in taking and distributing Henrietta’s cells without their knowledge and consent.
