Topic #8
Henrietta signed a consent form that said,"I hereby give consent to the staff of The Johns Hopkins Hospital to perform any operative procedures and under any anesthetic either local or general that they may deem necessary in the proper surgical care and treatment of:___" (Page 31). Based on this statement, do you believe TeLinde and Gey had the right to obtain a sample from her cervix to use in their research? What information would they have had to give her for Henrietta to give informed consent? Do you think Henrietta would have given explicit consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research if she had been given all the information? Do you always thoroughly read consent forms before signing them?
Johns Hopkins
Hospital where Henrietta Lacks went to get her treatment against her cervical cancer was the only hospital that attended colored and poor people, so they thought
that taking some sample from those people for research was fine and that they
had the right to do it as payment for their medical service. In 1951, Patient
Bill of Rights or Notice of Privacy didn’t exist, and another issue was that at
this time in the South, local laws called Jim Crow Laws, promoted discrimination and segregation and it allowed to white people, generally, to abuse black people.
I don’t believe that TeLinde and Gey had the right to obtain a sample from Henrietta’s cervix to use in their research without her consent. She had the right to know what they wanted to do, even if she didn’t understand their medical language. This action was like stealing something from her right under her nose. I also think that TeLinde and Gey only thought about themselves, they only wanted to prove what they could do. In spite of that, thanks to them medicine is better today. If they would have informed Henrietta about everything it would have been perfect. They would have had to give Henrietta a document where she allows them to take a sample for their research and which explained what they want to discover.
I know little about Henrietta Lacks, but I think she would have given consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research if she had been given all the information because she was intelligent and compressive person. She understood her situation, so she would be happy to help save millions of lives.
I always read everything that I have to sign because that’s the way that you can demand for medical negligence or claim for other issues. I ask my doctor if I don’t understand, even if they are impatient because it is my health and my right is to read before I sign.
I don’t believe that TeLinde and Gey had the right to obtain a sample from Henrietta’s cervix to use in their research without her consent. She had the right to know what they wanted to do, even if she didn’t understand their medical language. This action was like stealing something from her right under her nose. I also think that TeLinde and Gey only thought about themselves, they only wanted to prove what they could do. In spite of that, thanks to them medicine is better today. If they would have informed Henrietta about everything it would have been perfect. They would have had to give Henrietta a document where she allows them to take a sample for their research and which explained what they want to discover.
I know little about Henrietta Lacks, but I think she would have given consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research if she had been given all the information because she was intelligent and compressive person. She understood her situation, so she would be happy to help save millions of lives.
I always read everything that I have to sign because that’s the way that you can demand for medical negligence or claim for other issues. I ask my doctor if I don’t understand, even if they are impatient because it is my health and my right is to read before I sign.
Richard TeLinde/
George Gey/
Henrietta Lacks
