Henrietta Lacks a name many people do not know. Researchers in the world call her Hela and her cells were important for many scientific advance. The story was unknown to me, I wasn't aware that in the United States there were doctors capable of taking people blood, cells and so on without their concern. In the Dominican Republic corruption is so high that anything can be done to any patients they just have to tell them that they need blood or whatever they want from you.They won't even tell you why they need it they just tell you they need it.The rules in the 50's and 60's were very different than what they are now. Now days doctors will ask you to sing papers and tell you exactly what they need from the patients, and explain the importance for it. It is up to you to sing the papers and let those researchers do thir job with your blood or cells.
What they did to Henrietta's family was wrong and should not happen again. I don't think it will be a problem now, with all the laws and requirements to work with someones cells. Doctors should always inform their patients with every little detail and ensure that their patients understand what is going on with their blood work or whatever they are being research for.
Different country different rules, but your country's situation probably works in everywhere that difference is the amount of money. If you are thinking we are saved, then maybe you have to think about John Moore's case. It still happens, just indirectly.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I wasn't aware either about this issues in the 50s and 60s. It is pretty scary right? the most scary thing is that they injected cancer cells to people that wasn't aware of it. about stealing cells from people, yes, I believe this is really unfair for Henrietta's family but I also understand that thanks to Hela cells science advanced a lot. I don't know if nowadays this kind of unfair situations can happen or not. Nowadays everything is more controlled and every time you go to an hospital you have to sign a lot of papers before. So I guess this is not possible, but who knows...
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