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Ethical issues in medicine essay
Ethical issues in medicine essay
-what are some potential ethical dilemmas in medical
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Later in the book, as Skloot actually gets close to the members of the Lack's family it becomes more and more apparent that they are angry Hopkins took Henrietta’s cells without her consent and that no one had informed them either after she died. Lawrence tells Skloot, “She’s the most important person in the world and her family living in poverty. If our mother so important to science, why can’t we get health insurance” (Skloot 168)? This shows the Lack ’s think it is unfair that Henrietta had, unknowingly, contributed so much to the scientific world, but her family is living in poor areas and conditions without any health
Henrietta Lacks Honor Essay “The reason Henrietta's cells were so precious was because they allowed scientists to perform experiments that would have been impossible with a living human. They cut HeLa cells apart and exposed them to endless toxins, radiation, and infection. They bombarded them with drugs, hoping to find one that would kill malignant cells without destroying normal ones.” (58)”Throughout the book “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” there are many examples of how the HeLa cell of Henrietta Lacks provided cellular information and examples that helped mold many cellular discoveries and experiments.
Although many are unaware of it, scientific ethics have always been a major issue, especially in the United States. This was especially the case of Henrietta Lacks and her family through the early 1950s to present day. Henrietta Lacks hurried into John Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland to find out why there was a lump on her cervix. When doctors diagnosed her with cervical cancer, she filled out a form giving consent to let the doctors perform any surgery they deemed necessary. Soon after Henrietta died in October of 1951, her husband, David (Day) Lacks, signed a consent form to let them perform an autopsy on her corpse.
Participation Portfolio 1 Asst 3: Henrietta Lacks Discussion Questions Please answers each of the following questions, and be prepared to discuss in class 1. Please outline the history of Henrietta Lacks 's tissue cells. Who did what with the cells, when, where and for what purpose? Who benefited, scientifically, medically, and monetarily?
Nevertheless, the concept of experimental ethics was still in its infancy, which led to a lot of controversies. In the case of Henrietta Lacks and further experiments regarding HeLa cells, ethical problems were seen quite often. First off, in terms of patient confidentiality, I think what George Gey and his fellow scientists did to conceal Henrietta’s name when reporters were asking had a good intention. However, I would not give off any form of information if I were Gey. The next ethical issue I found in this book is informed consent.
An example from the book of applied research is injecting these malignant cells into the arms of sick and healthy patients (Skloot, 2010). Another reason for the use of her cells is because the growth of living cells has been unsuccessful prior to receiving the HeLa cells. It could be the lack of mitosis happening in the cell, and the cells have not been able to reproduce, and create copies of themselves. This is another reason, why the doctors have been keeping a close observation of Henrietta’s children, even making up excuses to collect their blood, and keeping everything a secret. This is important to research because you can have a higher risk of getting a disease through your family’s genes.
And them doctors said if I gave them my old lady, they could use her to study that cancer and maybe help my children, my grandchildren” (Skloot 164-165). However Day did not know that they were doing this and the scientists did not care. An autopsy does not involve taking small bits from each of her organs and trying to grow her cells for personal use. Wilbur cut samples from her “bladder, bowel, uterus, kidney, vagina, ovary, appendix, liver, heart, and lungs” (Skloot 90). Gey grew Henrietta’s cells and called them HeLa cells; the immortal cells of the 50s.
While she continued her studies, she became obsessed with the idea of telling Henrietta’s story she spent over a "decade researching and writing" about the story (Being Wicked). She continued this dream and now her book has been emphasized in the 60 critics’ best of the year lists. She is the winner of several awards, including the 2010 Chicago Tribune Heartland Prize for Nonfiction the 2010 Wellcome Trust Book Prize. Skloot is founder and president of the Henrietta Lacks Foundation, a "non profit organization that provides financial assistance to needy individuals" (Being Wicked). Which has made significant contributions to scientific research without personally benefitting from those
If they didn’t want to blood samples, the children probably would have never found out about the cells in the first place. Scientists started to make a profit off from HeLa cells as well. The family got nothing but stress because of them. “Everyone is making funds off Henrietta’s cells,” Lacks grandson, Ron Lacks, told the sun. “I am sure my grandmother is up in heaven saying,”Well, what about my
The pain was colossal to her “Henrietta’s body was almost entirely taken over by tumors. They’d blocked her intestines and made her belly swell” (Skloot 83). Ultimately, her body was responding in a negative way due to doctors trying to test her cells by putting he in contact with radium a radioactive material that is deadly. Making someone go through excruciating pain just to test out their body capabilities is an inhumane way to help try to solve other illnesses. In the long run, putting someone's life at risk by inflicting pain is not the right step in the right direction to cure all
Henrietta Lacks was an African-American woman whose cells from her cancerous tumor led to many medical advances in the world. The cells led to the HeLa line, which have a crucial role in drug development and toxicity testing (Hunt). Prior to the HeLa line, it was proven impossible to grow human cells in a laboratory for any length of time. The conflict in this amazing discovery is that her cells were taken from her body for medical purposes without her permission. People argue that people have to be given legal ownership of their tissues and given money for them or medical advances made using the tissues.
In order to research the theory of cancerous cells being infectious, two scientists traveled to an Ohio maximum security prison to conduct several experiments on prisoners. This testing involved taking the HeLa cells, and injecting the prisoners, to observe possible reactions. Despite the fact that the prisoners were informed of the risks, this experimentation was conducted intentionally to cause disease in another human being. This theory, however, was disproved as an infectious cancer because none of the test subjects developed full blown cancer.
The main ethical problems are that the cells were taken without Henrietta’s permission, and that her family never received reimbursement for Henrietta’s contribution to
Informed consent tends to spark major ethical controversy in the medical world. Many people believe that ALL humans deserve the right to know what research or tests are being done within their body, as well as the understanding of all the risks and costs that are associated with treatment. Other people believe that the right of informed consent should vary from person to person. This disputable topic is also explored throughout the novel, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. As the story progresses, the reader soon discovers that without the lack of informed consent given to Henrietta Lacks, the discovery of the famous immortal HeLa cells would have never occurred.
The first ethical theory is Utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is based on actions that show right from wrong. In the story the Utilitarianism, is choosing which would benefit the most to the most people. This theory would conclude that it was the best choice to take Henrietta Lack’s cells and distribute them all over like they did in the story. The utilitarianism would benefit much more on the decision that the doctor made then a negative decision, which is based on consequences.
