Question

Comment on some of the medical practices and procedures that affected Henrietta Lacks and her family. What ethical issues did they raise? How have laws and regulations governing informed consent and treatment of human subjects have changed between the 1950’s and the present . Is there a need for further protections? ( 300 words ) NO PLAGIARISM PLEASE.

Answer 1

An African-American women belonging to a black group once was deviated for good medical care facilities for her illness forms a saviour by her cell line (HeLa cells).The women who went for ruling out a knot in her womb came up with a misdiagnosed case of epidermoid carcinoma of cervix and later confirmed for adenocarcinoma.

The medical practice of taking this women's tissue sample via biopsy during her treatment without consent and her cells again taken after her death from the partially autopsied body for medical research has greatly affected the family. The main reason is that nearly for five years (until 1976)the family were unaware that the cells are still alive and used for research purposes.The cells were multiplied up to 51 million metric tones for medical research purpose (gene mapping ,finding medicine for AIDS,cancer,radiation and toxic effects,cosmetic research.

The ethical issue rose when the family were repeatedly contacted for blood samples for further. They raised a concern of privacy when the family details were published publicly without any family consent in 1980.Though there was no permission required in 1950 for using the cells after biopsy or death from a patient.The court in 1990 published a law stating that the discarded tissues and cells doesn't belong to them and it can be commercialized.

The recent laws has made consent an important part in medical care and treatment.The patient definitely have to give consent for any biopsy ,procedure or surgery and the tissues taken can be used for medical research purposes .A medical professionals trespassing this is punishable legally and has to compensate for the incidents.This is done in order to protect one's privacy and not making medicine for monetary businesses.

The need for further protection is necessary in mere future for not using this methods for creating any biological weapons or anything which could endanger life for monetary gains.