Bioethics
"We should know what's going on with her cells from all of them that have her cells. You might want to ask why so long with this news, well its been out for years in and out of video's papers, books, magazines, radio, tv, all over the world...I was in shock."--Deborah Lacks (Skloot, 195)
As we progress further and further in medicine, certain questions tend to come up. What should my doctors be telling me? What can they withhold? How do my choices factor in? What does my family get to choose? Together, questions like these form the building blocks of the field of bioethics.
After Henrietta's death, it took over 20 years for the Lackses to find out about Henrietta's living cells--and even then, no scientists informed them of Henrietta's contributions; rather, it was Bobbette Lacks who accidentally learned of Henrietta's fate.
Little was explained, the Lacks family received no monetary compensation, and the family was, for many years, not completely informed of the state of Henrietta's cells. Their medical information was published without their full consent. To this day, questions about bodily autonomy are extant. |
"But I always have thought it was strange, if our mother cells done so much for medicine, how come her family can't afford to see no doctors? Don't make no sense. People got rich off my mother without us even knowin about them takin her cells..."--Deborah Lacks (Skloot, 9) |
Conclusion:
Cases like Henrietta's are, by nature, difficult to regulate. No one law can successfully apply to all cases; while some tissue cultures only make $10,000 or less, Henrietta has inspired thousands of patents. Though discarded bodily tissues are not considered to be the property of their donors, these donors should be informed of the progress they have helped to effect (within reason). This should be considered on a case by case basis, so that families like the Lackses are not left "in the dark" regarding their contributions.
Cases like Henrietta's are, by nature, difficult to regulate. No one law can successfully apply to all cases; while some tissue cultures only make $10,000 or less, Henrietta has inspired thousands of patents. Though discarded bodily tissues are not considered to be the property of their donors, these donors should be informed of the progress they have helped to effect (within reason). This should be considered on a case by case basis, so that families like the Lackses are not left "in the dark" regarding their contributions.
What is Medical Research?
Medical research is a broad term--generally defined as the use of applied science to create significant advances in the medical field, it can include anything from gene therapy testing to finding flu vaccines. The most successful medical researchers (such as the 2014 Nobel Prize Laureates in Physiology, seen above) tend to be parts of well established institutions--institutes in their field, reputed universities, or other organizations. Take George Gey, for example; he was a respected researcher at Johns Hopkins University, one of America's most famous medical research institutions--Gey went on to revolutionize the field of tissue culture. All, of course, with the help of Henrietta Lacks.
So, how have Henrietta's cells been used for research?
Knowing what we know, what kind of role should money play in medical research? We already know that research grants can provide a sizable incentive; certain types of research can become very arduous, especially without the promise of a reward. This is certainly justified--but what about after the fact? Once we have made the breakthrough, should it not be available to all qualifying persons, regardless of their personal wealth? The answers to these questions can be summarized clearly and concisely: profit should provide an incentive for researchers, but should not impede the average person's access to basic healthcare.
So, how have Henrietta's cells been used for research?
- Dr. Jonas Salk used HeLa to test his polio vaccine
- Scientists like Henry Harris and John Watkins established a basis for gene therapy research
- Scientists at NYU used HeLa to learn how to map genes
- Harald zur Hausen created a vaccine for HPV, and helped to prove that HPV causes cervical cancer
- The use of HeLa cells has helped to clarify the concept of informed consent
- HeLa cells have been used in space missions and atomic bombs to see how human cells would react to different environmental conditions
Knowing what we know, what kind of role should money play in medical research? We already know that research grants can provide a sizable incentive; certain types of research can become very arduous, especially without the promise of a reward. This is certainly justified--but what about after the fact? Once we have made the breakthrough, should it not be available to all qualifying persons, regardless of their personal wealth? The answers to these questions can be summarized clearly and concisely: profit should provide an incentive for researchers, but should not impede the average person's access to basic healthcare.