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Henrietta Lacks Informed Consent Essay

825 Words4 Pages

Is it acceptable for health care providers to remove cells from your body and use them for medical research without your knowledge? The concept of informed consent recognizes that everyone has the right to make decisions about their body and health. This right has not always been respected in the past, as seen by the tragedy of Henrietta Lacks. She was an African American woman whose cancer cells were extracted without her knowledge, or consent, for medical experiments. The case of Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells raises serious ethical concerns about the use of patient samples for medical research without their informed permission. The most important lesson for healthcare practitioners is that informed consent is an essential component …show more content…

Deborah, Henrietta's daughter, expresses her displeasure that her mother's cells were stolen without her agreement, saying, "I'm proud of my mother's cells, but I can't say I'm proud of the way they did it." (53) This quote emphasizes the importance of people having control over their bodies and healthcare decisions. Patients may feel disempowered and disconnected from the decision-making process if they are not educated about their diagnosis, treatment choices, and potential risks and benefits. This might create anger and mistrust in the eyes of healthcare practitioners. Henrietta Lacks' family felt mistreated and deceived since Henrietta’s cells were stolen without her knowledge or consent. As a result of not being engaged in the research process and receiving no advantages from the use of Henrietta's cells, they developed a mistrust of medical …show more content…

Skloot writes about the ethical implications of using Henrietta cells without her consent. She says “Scientists were routinely taking cells from patients without their knowledge much less their consent” (38). This quote illustrates how healthcare providers in the past have violated patients' rights. Furthermore, the story of Henrietta Lacks and her immortal cells has had a significant impact on the medical field. Her cells have been used in countless scientific breakthroughs and have contributed to the development of various medical treatments. However, the lack of informed consent has raised ethical concerns and led to the establishment of guidelines for obtaining consent in medical research. Today health care providers have a responsibility to obtain informed consent from patients before conducting any medical

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