Argument Against Henrietta Lacks

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Henrietta Lacks was a beautiful woman of color that unfortunately lived a hard life. She grew up in a small town with her cousin named David that she eventually married later on. This woman did not have the privilege of having an education; therefore, when it came to reading important documents in a hospital setting or elsewhere, she was not able to properly understand what she was reading. In Henrietta’s case, when she went to the Johns Hopkins hospital due to medical emergencies, she was taken advantage of. Mrs. Lacks’ cells were taken for medical research purposes without proper consent; thus making it ethically wrong.
To begin with, an informed consent is when the patient’s doctor or health care provider provides proper documentation that explains clearly and effectively the procedure. Accordingly, the patient will be able …show more content…
She was pregnant at that time; thus, she probably did not have another child planned in her mind. With that being said, if they needed to have those cells for pure medical research purposes, they should have formally and effectively informed Henrietta. I am sure that Henrietta would have understood what the doctors would have communicated to her. In the event that she didn’t, they could have found a delegated person to explain her. According to the UCONN health, “You have the right to consent or decline to take part in research affecting your care. If you choose not to take part, you will receive the most effective care the hospital otherwise provides.” Nonetheless, Henrietta was black and back in the days the blacks where not properly taken care of in the hospital. What makes one think that Mrs. Lacks could have probably agreed to consent is by having the hope of getting better care for doing this. She would have wanted to be there for her kids and her husband; thus, would have wanted to try all the possible ways to get a
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