1. What characteristics of Henrietta Lacks' cells made them so useful? What made them so valuable? 2. How has medical science been advanced because of the use of HeLa cells? 3. What does "informed consent" mean? 4. What do you think are some ethical concerns regarding harvesting someone's cells against his or her knowledge? Is it ethical for individuals or corporations to make money from someone's cells? Should the donor receive compensation? Is it ethical if the cells are given away? 5. Do you think Johns Hopkins Hospital should be penalized for taking and distributing Lacks' cells? If you consider that there was no law preventing this at the time, should Hopkins still be penalized?
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Henrietta Lacks’s cells had a number of characteristics that made them useful in medical research. These cells were easy to obtain, they did not die easily, and they could be grown in large numbers. Show more…
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