Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman who was treated at John Hopkins Hospital for a medical procedure to treat her cervical cancer. During the medical procedures samples from her cervical cancer were removed without her knowledge or consent Henrietta’s patient privacy rights were violated, during this time period segregation was in effect Henrietta was uneducated. Henrietta Lacks medical records were reveled to the public this lead to controversy regarding weather or not who had the authority on the ownership of patient’s rights in research When Henrietta died of her cervical cancer was the birth of the cells known as the Hela cells on October 4,1951 which revolutionized the medical field. The creation of vaccines of significant …show more content…
After the death of Henrietta demanding requirements were created for medical research using people. According to the article Henrietta lacks and the Hela cells “Since the mishandling of Henrietta’s Rights. Government has acted comprehensively to protect research subjects” (130). New laws have been implemented to defend the identification of patient’s information to defend accessible categories of test subjects. “Scientist lawyers, ethicist and policy makers debated the issue some called for legislation that would make it illegal for doctors to take patient cells or commerce them without consent and the disclosure of potential profits; others argue that doing so would create a logistical nightmare that would put an end to medical progress”(204). There has been controversy regarding the ownership of patient rights on research, and whether or not doctor were committing a crime by removing samples of patients, and who had the ownership of those samples would lead to use them as business. In an effort of creating laws this was ruled by creating laws would lead to end on medical evolution. “The cells of Henrietta were taken without her consent her rights and later the rights of her family were violated because few laws existed to protect her and others from unauthorized medical research, even if preformed for the common good.” (131). Patient rights and there family were violated they had little they can do to protect there privacy, patients were being used for conducting