Looking around to see if there were any recent news about
Henrietta Lacks, I stumbled upon an article that talked about the sequencing of
Henrietta Lacks’ DNA to see what complications they had.
The research that has been done on the sequencing has found
many errors in the genome sequence. This can result in complications that arise
from these errors in the genome. A problem arises that is due to the
unavailable sequence of Lacks’ correct cells. The article further points out
the success the cells have generated such as the vaccination for polio. In a
contemporary example this brings up a question that can be applied to both the
past and the present. Is the research that is generated from these cells
legitimate?
Another question is the ethical violations that have not
been addressed by the medical community. I may be wrong, but I have not seen an
apology to the family like the Tuskegee Syphilis Case. I feel that so far in
the reading, the family has been shut out of many benefits they should be
receiving from the medical community for Henrietta’s contribution of more than
60+ years.
Darren Pope
There was an apology for the Tuskegee Syphilis Case administered by President Clinton.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/tuskegee/clintonp.htm
I feel as though because Henrietta's case was individual and no one knew, and still has no idea, of what happened, as opposed to the Tuskegee incident, and Gey, as well as her doctor, had already passed when Skloot's book was published, it is a bit harder to form a direct apology to her family.
Although I don't feel like Henrietta's family deserves any benefits, I don't think that the research is legitimate. I mean, technically it is because it's happening and having an effect, but I guess I should phrase it in a different way. The manner in which they obtained this research is illegitimate. I think anything done without consent can't be verified as legitimate, as with the case of Henrietta. But it's also a shame because of the enormous amount of success that her situation generated. Imagine if it had been conducted in a different manner.
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