Summary: The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks

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Henrietta Lacks is a common name in the field of science and it has influenced many lives yet no one seems to know her. However, the publication of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot in 2010 brings to light the impact of Henrietta’s life and death. Skloot is a famous science writer and author who specialize in medicine and science (Derse 51). Her bestselling book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks talks about a woman unintended contribution to the field of science. Henrietta was used a research subject in 1951 leading to the establishment of Hela cells which have since been used for scientific advancement in laboratories. In the above quote, Skloot seeks to explore some of the moral concerns of scientific research on patients and other subjects. …show more content…
One of the ethical concerns raised by the above quote is determining whether it is appropriate to use humans as research subjects without their consent. It also seeks to determine the point at which the rights of an individual supersede his/her possible contributions to the human race (Campbell and Parsi 60). Therefore, Skloot’s concern is informed consent of patients during clinical research. Its proponents argue that patients should decide on what should be done to him/her during clinical research. On the other hand, its opponents suggest that patients lack the ability to process the information being disclosed by physicians hence influencing the process of informed consent. Therefore, informed consent is an ethical concern in medical and clinical research hence scientists should focus on gaining consents of patients before conducting
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