Multiple times throughout the book it was mentioned that Henrietta’s biopsy took place 60 years ago and a lot of changes have been made to science and ethics. This book did a good job bringing up ethics in science and scientific achievements that have been made over the years, but in some ways it was sensationalized to get the family the recognition they feel they deserved. As a poor, black family, the Lacks’ were discriminated against. Even the medical treatments they received were often not the best treatments offered and they were often experimented on. Having the fear of being mistreated and used for experimentation made the Lacks’ even more upset about Henrietta’s death. They were not educated so when the doctor would say something scientific they would trust every word while not even understanding what he was saying. This part of informed consent was stressed throughout the book because in today’s society most people have enough education to have a general idea what is going on when they are at the hospital about to have a procedure done, making it seem …show more content…
Other definitions included more details about how it is just what is being done to the patient’s body and the potential outcomes of the procedure or treatment. Waste material is not included in this because once you sign the informed consent form that states that you understand the procedure and the possible outcomes, whatever is taken out is no longer considered yours. If Henrietta’s biopsy was taken to be tested for cancer to benefit her first and then the rest of the biopsy was used for creating the cell line, then that would not be an issue. It would be an issue if the biopsy was taken for the sole purpose of creating the cell line and she was unaware of what her cells were being used