Henrietta Lacks Ethical debates and dilemmas are common in healthcare today. The Henrietta Lacks story was no exception. Her cells were taken without her knowledge and used to form a HeLa cell line, which has been used extensively in medical research (Arts & Entertainment, {A & E}, 2017). The purpose of this paper is to inform others about the Henrietta Lacks story and how ethical issues are relevant to this case.…
James Tanner The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Timeline 1952 First immortal cells cultured. Collected from Henrietta's cervix. Named HeLa cells.…
Though some might not know a thing about them, HeLa cells have affected an abundance of people. Original HeLa cells were cut from the cervix of the African American woman known as Henrietta Lacks. Born as Loretta Lacks, Henrietta was born in Roanoke, Virginia on August 1, 1920. At the age of 30, Henrietta was diagnosed with “Epidermoid carcinoma of the cervix, Stage I” (24). Her cancer could not be defeated and Henrietta died October 4, 1951.…
Henrietta Lack's contribution Toshia Milam Jacksonville State University Henrietta Lack's contribution “Henrietta Lacks was born on August 1, 1920, in Roanoke, Virginia.” (Biography.com editors, 2017). Henrietta was an African American tobacco farmer born under the name Loretta Pleasant. Henrietta was sent to live with her grandfather after the death of her mother in 1924. For unknown reasons, Henrietta changed her name after the death of her mother.…
“Henrietta Lack’s cells thrived. In weight, they now far surpassed the person of their origin and there would probably be more than sufficient to populate a village of Henriettas” (237). According to the quote above, the amount of cells from one woman’s body is compared to the population of one village. How could this be? Rebecca Skloot, the author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, first started learning about HeLa cells in school, but was more curious to know the origin of the cells.…
In this enthralling, enlightening book, Ronald M. Green’s Babes by Design: The Ethics of Genetic Design explores the potential promise and threat in the innovation of genetic engineering. Babies by Design offers several elements of the complicated subject: it presents an eloquent description of the sophisticated technology and science, it clearly recaps the reasonable arguments for and against numerous exercises of biotechnology, and it relates the ideas of science fiction to that of the uncertain future. Green graduated Summa Cum Laude at Brown University, before receiving his Ph.D. in religious ethics from Harvard University in 1973. Green has written nine books and more than 170 articles on theoretical and applied ethics. This gives him…
The story of Henrietta Lacks is truly a unique story, grounded in family, hardship and scientific discovery. The story behind the “HeLa” cells and the family behind the woman who had “immortal cells” is very dramatic. Henrietta Lacks, a thirty-one year old black woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer that rapidly spreads. Stricken by poverty, Lacks family is unable to financially support her in treatment. The cancer soon overtakes Lacks body, and she dies, leaving behind her husband and five children.…
HeLa cells are the “one of the most important things to ever happen in medicine” (Skloot, 2010). Henrietta’s biopsy aided in the development of the polio vaccine, standard culture mediums, cell cloning, as well as identifying human chromosomes which led to genetic research on Down Syndrome, Klinefelter Syndrome and Turner Syndrome (Skloot, 2010). Scientists were able to use HeLa cells to discover how radiation, nuclear bombs, and extreme gravity all effect humans (Skloot, 2010). HeLa cells were also able to replace animals in some studies of cosmetics and pharmaceuticals (Skloot, 2010). Regardless of the disputes on how the cells were obtained, a consequentialist would view the advancement in science HeLa cells has provided, and secondarily all of the lives she has improved, as reason enough to consider the removal of Henrietta Lacks’ tumor…
Despite going against what is ethically right in invading Henrietta lacks somatic rights, the world has seen a myriad of disease antidotes. Still to this day even, “[her] cells have become the standard laboratory workhorse”(Stump 131). If they had not taken HeLa cells for research, there’s no way to tell if we could have suffered a mutilating cost. Without the cures HeLa cells have done, we could have reached an apocalyptic scene where those very diseases that were cured might have spread across the world, killing millions. The Executive Director of the Presidential Commissions Lisa M. Lee states, “The benefits of research have to outweigh the risks to the individuals involved” (Stump 131).…
The intern sighed as she threw away, yet again the remains of a manipulated human embryo into the receptacle. As the intern began to clean the petri dish that once held such a small but significant life, she wondered how the rest of the scientists took killing an innocent life so lightly. Stem cell research is beneficial because it helps to further the research towards the cure of diabetes, cancer, other various diseases and illnesses, and the advancement in the growth of such stem cells also helps further the research in organ growth. However, some ways the scientists conduct and carry out stem cell research is neither morally correct nor practical. Stem cell research helps further the advancement in the curing of diseases such as diabetes…
The ethnic barriers in the world of science have always been blurry and hard to determine. Depending on the time, and the popular social ideologies of that time, scientific practices may switch to and fro on the scales of ethicality. Because of these obscure complications, scientists often have a hard time picking their sides on the age-long debate between practically and morality. Some experimental procedures may have deemed acceptable in the past, but are now frowned upon. Although amazing scientific breakthroughs have resulted from some questionable experiments, it is hard to believe that these scientists had the audacity and the nerve to perform these practices and remained morally unscathed.…
Article #1: How “Dead” Bacteria Return to Life Summary The article, How “Dead” Bacteria Return to Life, discusses how bacteria that can be switch to a dormant stage, can survive when no growth is deemed possible. The people working in these findings are international researchers working with Professor Karl Forchhammer and Alexander Klotz at University of Tübingen 's Interfaculty Institute of Microbiology and Infection Medicine. It is stated that the cells stop photosynthesis and begin to reserve their energy.…
Why is it that some people don’t appreciate what they have until they lose it? To have the ability to use your arms, legs or even brain are unappreciated until a person loses that ability. Despite the fact that, what if there is a way to restore those parts of the body, including deadly illnesses. What would you do then?…
Stem cells have been around as early as 1868, but stem cell are often related to “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley and the book was published in 1818, 50-years before stem cells were thought of. In Frankenstein, Victor, a scientist, got body parts that he severed from grave digging in order to create the creature. When Victor was done shaping the creature he was “playing god” because he brought something to life without reproduction. Stem cells are also referred to “playing god”, or “cheating at life”. Stem Cells should be used to help repair cells, as well as treat, and possibly cure the diseases that take the lives of others.…
Scientists and researchers concede that medical research depends significantly on human cells developed in the laboratory, in order to evaluate the functionalities of such cells, and test numerous theories concerning the causes and treatments of diseases. The cell lines needed for such experiments must be immortal, which implies that they should show signs of indefinite growth, split into a number of batches for use by numerous scientists, and frozen for long durations of time. In 1951, medicine received a significant boost derived from the discovery of the first immortal cell, which was discovered using a sample tissue acquired from a woman suffering from cervical cancer. The immortal cells were later renamed HeLa cells, which have since become an essential tool in medical research.…