Long Delayed Justice for Henrietta Lacks
On August 1 of this year, what would have been Henrietta Lacks’ 103rd birthday, biotech company Thermo Fisher Scientific reached a settlement with Henrietta’s family for profiting from the use of Henrietta’s cells without her consent.
Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman, is best known for the unintentional contribution she made to medical research through her cells. In 1951, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer and underwent treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. During her treatment, a sample of her cancer cells was taken without her knowledge or consent. These cells, strategically called “HeLa” cells (a combination of the first two letters of her first and last names), were the first human cells to be successfully cultured and maintained in a laboratory setting. These cells were found to have remarkable properties, allowing them to be reproduced indefinitely and have been instrumental in various scientific breakthroughs, including research related to the human genome, as well as the development of vaccines for polio and COVID-19.
For decades, Henrietta, the woman behind medical marvels, was reduced to a sample and her identity was unknown to the public. In the 1970s, Henrietta’s family learned about her contributions to medical science and the continued use of her cells for advancing scientific knowledge. Her family filed a lawsuit with Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021 and the revelation of Henrietta’s hidden contribution led to discussions about informed consent, patient rights and the fair use of biological samples.
The act of taking her cells without proper consent and profiting from them in medical research laid bare the systemic dehumanization and exploitation that many Black individuals faced, particularly in the context of medical research during that era. Since Henrietta’s family was unaware of the impact her cells had on medical research until much later, the lack of recognition further exemplifies the dehumanization she and her family experienced.
The case of Henrietta Lacks serves as a stark reminder of the historical mistreatment of marginalized communities in medical research and the broader context of systemic racism. It underscores the need for ethical practices and considerations, informed consent and privacy, and the recognition of the humanity and rights of all individuals, regardless of their race or background in the fields of medical science and bioethics and beyond. Henrietta Lacks’ story has inspired books, documentaries and discussions about the importance of acknowledging the contributions of marginalized individuals to scientific progress.
Disclaimer: This article was written with the help of the ChatGPT language model developed by OpenAI.