In August, 2013, the Lacks family and the National Institutes of Health came to a settlement
(Links to an external site.)
about handling data from research done on HeLa cells: it will be stored in the institutes’ database of genotypes and phenotypes. Future researchers will have to apply for access and submit annual reports about their research. An N.I.H. panel, including two Lacks family members, will review the applications. The settlement does not provide for any monetary reimbursement to the family.
David Korn, Vice Provost for Research at Harvard University, is quoted in the Skloot book making a case against patient ownership of discarded cells, saying, “I think people are morally obligated to allow their bits and pieces to be used to advance knowledge to help others. Since everybody benefits, everybody can accept the small risks of having their tissue scraps used in research” (321).
Christoph Lengauer, the Austrian researcher at Johns Hopkins who showed Deborah and Zakariyya their mother’s cells and how much they were worth on the open market, disagrees and compares human cells to another resource: “When you find oil on somebody’s property, it doesn’t automatically belong to them, but they do get a portion of the profits” (267).
PART ONE (at least 300 words)
Explain what, if anything, you think is owed to the Lacks family. Do you agree with Korn or Lengauer about patient’s
rights, or do you have an alternative view altogether?
Cite at least two quotes from two different chapters in the final section of the book (other than those above) that illustrate why you feel the way you do, including page numbers where they appear.
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