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Analysis: The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

746 Words3 Pages

February 6th, 2018 - February 20th, 2018
Afton Buhr, Nina Wilson, Athena Cunningham, Marina Avila
Henrietta Lacks- Final Assignment (Group) Script

(Due February 20th) (Nina and Afton are doing the basic plot, Mari and Athena are doing essential lessons and takeaways) (meet on google hangouts between 4:00-6:00 PM)

(Afton) The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Presentation (Athena) By Nina, Athena, Afton, and Mari

Basic Plot:
(Afton) The book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, is about the events that happen to the young woman Henrietta Lacks leading up to the discovery and harvesting of her cervical cancer cells- without her knowing. These cells became the foundation for many modern cell culture methods and other scientific discoveries, …show more content…

Identity is a main factor in the aforementioned topics- how do you identify yourself?

What role does morality play in medicine? (Afton :D)
Morality plays a big role in science and medicine. It limits doctors and researchers from doing horribly unethical things. Morality is not very clear on its own, so we can make it more clear by showing you some very immoral things doctors and researchers have done.
“‘Pneumoencephalography and skull X-ray studies in 100 epileptics’” (page 275). This study consisted of draining the fluids out of the research subjects’ skulls and then taking an X-ray image, which came with some really bad side effects like permanent brain damage.
The study Dr. Southam did by injecting HeLa cells into patients’ without their knowledge or consent, and into prisoners with the knowledge and consent, but they were possibly coerced.
When George Gey took Henrietta’s cells and did not tell her or the family or the scientists working with her cells. This cost her family millions in money made off of the cells that they missed out on at a time when they could not even afford to go to the …show more content…

(Nina)
There are two ways our group came up with, the ethical approach and the logical approach (not always very ethical). The logical approach consists of listing out all the costs and benefits and also how big or small the costs and/or benefits are, then compare which side is more, metaphorically, weighty. To do it the ethical way, you have to take into account not only peoples’ health but also their emotional health along with the benefits of the progress in science.

Do you “own” your body? (Mari)
Yes, that is our group consensus, you do indeed own your body. One reason why is because if we did not own our own body then scientists and government officials and whoever else could use us for anything. It is a basic human right that you have claim over your own body. Once that claim is revoked, anyone can do anything they want with you and you can’t do a lawful thing about it. Your body once you die should belong to your family as if it was a material object- as your belongings become your family's, so should your

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