Media Case:

The media case I have chosen to discuss is the case of Henrietta Lacks, an African American woman whose cervical cancer cells were used to create the HeLa cell line, one of the most important tools in biomedical research. Lacks’s cells were taken without her consent or knowledge, and she and her family never received any compensation for their contributions to science.

Ethical Issue:

The ethical issue raised by this case is the issue of informed consent. Informed consent is a process in which a person is provided with all of the relevant information about a medical procedure or research study before they agree to participate. In the case of Henrietta Lacks, she was never given the opportunity to consent to the taking of her cells or to their use in research.

Background Information:

Henrietta Lacks was born in Roanoke, Virginia, in 1920. She was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 1951 and died of the disease in 1952. While Lacks was being treated for her cancer, researchers at Johns Hopkins Hospital took a sample of her cervical cancer cells without her consent or knowledge. The researchers then used these cells to create the HeLa cell line, which has since become one of the most important tools in biomedical research.

The HeLa cell line has been used to develop a wide range of medical advances, including the polio vaccine, the HPV vaccine, and cancer treatments. However, Lacks and her family never received any compensation for their contributions to science. In fact, Lacks’s family was not even aware of the HeLa cell line until the 1970s.

How the Issue Has Been Handled by Media:

The case of Henrietta Lacks has been covered by the media on numerous occasions. In 2010, Rebecca Skloot published a book about Lacks and her family called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. The book was a bestseller and was adapted into a film in 2017.

The media coverage of the case has helped to raise awareness of the ethical issues surrounding informed consent and the lack of recognition and compensation for African Americans who have made significant contributions to medical research.

Legal Considerations:

In the United States, there is no federal law that specifically requires informed consent for the taking or use of human cells in research. However, there are a number of state laws that do require informed consent. Additionally, the federal Common Rule, which governs all federally funded research involving human subjects, requires informed consent.

In the case of Henrietta Lacks, the researchers who took her cells without her consent violated the ethical and legal standards of their time. However, they were not prosecuted for their actions because there were no laws in place at the time that specifically required informed consent for the taking or use of human cells in research.

Professional Considerations:

The professional considerations in the case of Henrietta Lacks are complex. On the one hand, the researchers who took her cells without her consent violated the ethical and legal standards of their time. On the other hand, the HeLa cell line has been used to develop a wide range of medical advances that have benefited millions of people around the world.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has issued guidelines on the ethical use of human cells in research. The AMA guidelines state that researchers should obtain informed consent from human subjects before taking their cells or using them in research. The guidelines also state that researchers should share the benefits of their research with the communities from which the cells were obtained.

Opinions of Experts in the Field:

Experts in the field of bioethics have expressed a range of opinions on the case of Henrietta Lacks. Some experts have argued that the researchers who took Lacks’s cells without her consent were justified in doing so because the research they were conducting was so important. Other experts have argued that the researchers violated Lacks’s autonomy and that they should have obtained her informed consent.

In recent years, there has been a growing movement to recognize and compensate African Americans who have made significant contributions to medical research. This movement has been fueled by the realization that African Americans have been disproportionately exploited in medical research.

Conclusion:

The case of Henrietta Lacks is a complex case that raises a number of important ethical issues. The case highlights the importance of informed consent and the need to recognize and compensate African Americans who have made significant contributions to medical research.

The case has also helped to raise awareness of the ethical issues surrounding the use of human cells in research and has led to a number of changes in the way that research is conducted. For example, many institutions now require researchers to obtain informed consent from human subjects before taking their cells or using them in research.

The case of Henrietta Lacks is a reminder that we must always be vigilant in protecting the rights of human subjects in research. It is also a reminder that we must be mindful of the ethical implications of our scientific work