Tuesday, February 7, 2012

BP #9 - Final Reflection on HeLa


'Knowledge of human ethics'

Nowadays people have knowledge that we have a right to refuse a medical test for our bodies or to take our body cells. In many years ago, people who were in prison or colored had been tested as a medical subject. In the novel, The Immortal life of Henrietta Lacks, describe how the doctors did to them and treated them. Here are two questions that have been issued when we are reading the book.

1.      If you learned that tissue removed from your body during a routine procedure or examination at a doctor's office at some point in the past had gone on to significantly benefit science and research, would you feel that you should be retroactively compensated?        

-       We know that our bodies are our own property. This is the reason why doctors ask us consent.  When we go to hospital to check up our body, doctors often ask us consent of medical treatment. Also they advised us to donate our cells for medical research. If doctors took my tissues without my agreement, it would be punished by law. Taking cells or tissues are necessary for improving medical experiment or medicine. If I knew my cells were taking out from my body without my consent, I would sue them and ask them to destroy my cells. Also I would ask them some money for my tissue.



2.      Which do you think is more important - your right to control your own tissue, or contributing to science and research for the greater good of humanity?

-       In my opinion, I prefer not to give my cells to researchers. In the novel, Henrietta’s family members feel anxiety for several phone calls. They believe that their mother stolen and poisoned from researchers. Even though they did not know anything, scientist keep calling them and asking them. Actually donating my cells for developing medical field is good for rest of us.

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