Comments on: Health-Care Injustice: Doctors removed Henrietta Lacks’s cells without consent & companies made millions

By: Dominique

Dominique — Tue, 24 May 2011 04:22:29 +0000

I agree with you Tamara. This was a medical injustice, and anyone who thinks otherwise probably did not even read the book or do any research. No one told Henrietta that they were going to take samples of her cancerous cells, and George Gey is completely in the wrong. Her identity was kept a secret…hmmm…i wonder why? Maybe becuase the doctors involved knew they should have gone about getting the samples in a different way.

Back in the times of Henrietta Lacks, doctors took advantage of the fact that they were treating black people for free by basically doing whatever they wanted. Someone should have stated directly “We, want to take samples of your cancer and run tests, etc.” That was never done, and now they have made millions off of the research from the HeLa cells and her family didn’t even know about it. In what world is that ok?

By: cindyln

cindyln — Thu, 03 Mar 2011 17:50:21 +0000

Tamaras righht

By: Stuartg123

Stuartg123 — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:27:51 +0000

I completely agree with Nate. It is Tamara and the papers author who come with prejudice on the subject.
Ms.Miller, the author of this article is completely prejudicial in her title. “Tissue taken without her consent.”
The contemporary rules of informed consent never existed in the 50’s.
Indeed Ms. Lacks received standard of care treatment at Hopkins, for free. The biopsy was completely incidental.

By: Tamara

Tamara — Tue, 18 May 2010 02:17:56 +0000

Hmm, Nate, let’s examine your reasoning… It’s illegal for a dr.’s office to share client medical info. without consent, so I’d imagine whole cells should be off limits. No question! Typical of our people, taking what we want from people of color, like we have a right! Of course in 1951, we were more obvious with our practices of treating the poor and people of color with less respect than animals.

If this was your grandmother’s cells I have no doubt you and your entitled mentality would do everything in your power to demand your cut of the profits! 1951, 2010, no difference, how sad racism is still operating full power!

By: Nate

Nate — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 23:39:25 +0000

Nobody owes Henrietta Lacks’s family anything. Henrietta had a biopsy, and the tissue samples from that biopsy were used to study cancer in hopes for a cure. Nobody stole anything from her that she didn’t want to get rid of. If anything, the oft-repeated fact that her descendants can’t afford healthcare is more of an indictment of the US healthcare system than it is of research practices where scientists don’t ask, “Can I use your tissue to help save other people, or should I just throw it away?”