What Is The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot displays the controversy as to whether or not the public has a responsibility to support scientific progress at all costs. This controversy became evident after Henrietta Lacks’ cervical tissues were taken from her body without her consent and then her cells, which became immortal, were used for medical research everywhere and her family did not know about it. These cells have helped the medical field in many ways, including creating a vaccine for the polio virus. Yet these cells were still taken without Henrietta’s consent, and her family suffered greatly as the cost. The public does not have a responsibility to be forced to support scientific progress …show more content…
Lori Andrews argues that personal freedom is more important than science and people should be able to make their own conscious choice as to whether or not their tissue is used. Some may believe that had Henrietta been asked for consent, she would not have allowed her cells to be taken and then all the scientific breakthroughs that came about because of her cells would not have happened, this cannot be determined. Given her low education, it was likely she would in fact give consent as most people did whatever their doctors asked of them. While Henrietta was a poor black woman who did not hold much trust for doctors, she knew she was dying and if given knowledge as to what her cells were going to be tested for, she may have still decided to let the doctors use …show more content…
People deserve to know what part of their body is being used for. If it is being used in the right way, scientific progress will still be advanced and it will be advanced in an ethical way. Because informed consent, human rights and the right to their own property is law, no person has any obligation to science. No person should have to go through the pain that the Lacks family did of being left in the dark to their mothers great help to modern science. Each person has a right to autonomy, therefore they do not have a responsibility to support scientific progress, but hopefully, with informed consent, science can still