Introduction
Ethical principles are crucial for the effective dispensation of various professional activities, including medical services. Natural justice is the concept that allows organizations and individuals to uphold the rule of law when interacting with others. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is one of the literary works that communicate the collision between ethics and medicine. In the book, the principles of respect for persons, justice, and beneficence are grossly violated. Medical research is significant in saving human lives but must be conducted in a manner that is beneficial to the participants, respecting their natural rights.
Response to “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
Medical researchers have revolutionized healthcare services through discoveries and inventions of treatment approaches. Cervical cancer is one of the conditions that have continually destroyed humanity, attracting much scientific attention. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a riveting story of the interconnection between science research and ethical behaviors (Baptiste et al., 2022). The book presents a riveting story that is crucial for my future career as a counselor. The moving part of the book is when Henrietta Lacks discovered that she had a “knot” that turned out to be a virulent form of cervical cancer (Skloot, 2011). Henrietta Lacks’ reaction to the condition tells the story of many patients who are unaware of what is ailing them.
Although Henrietta Lacks’ cells are unique and of significant value to medical research on cervical cancer, he is not made aware of that. George Gey a researcher at Johns Hopkins Hospital, took cells with informing her family members. The part where the book talks about concealing patients’ information from Henrietta Lacks is interesting since it is a moral obligation and expectation for medical practitioners to collaborate with their patients’ families (Skloot, 2011). What makes the story more interesting is when Gey’s culture of HeLa cells is given to other researchers without Henrietta Lacks’ family knowledge. The scenario presents the importance of professionals maintaining constant communication with their clients, including counselors.
Some parts of the “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” are poignant. Henrietta Lacks’ situation negatively affects her daughter Deborah. Although the family is grieving the loss of their mothers and the deception by the medical officers, others, including Sir Lord Cofield further manipulate them. Consequently, he develops a stroke due to the stress associated with her family’s predicaments. It is sad that even with her mother’s cells earning millions of dollars, she cannot afford to attend medical school (Skloot, 2011). The situation presents the importance of a counselor trying to be in the shoes of their clients. Therefore, as a counselor, I need to understand the emotional distress among my clients to help them overcome their problems.
Ethical Violations in “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks”
“The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is a classic example of how human rights can be infringed upon in the context of the medical sector. In the book, Henrietta Lacks visits the hospital to seek medical attention, which she ought to receive regardless of her cultural background. However, what follows amounts to a violation of her rights and of those close to her. In medical care, the principles of justice, beneficence, and respect for persons guide research and treatment decisions.
Respect for Persons
Human dignity is a fundamental right that involves respecting other people. In ethics, respect for persons is a concept that promotes autonomy among human beings. It is an ethical behavior to allow people to make their own decisions in society (Baptiste et al., 2022). In the book, the concept is violated when George Gey takes cell samples from Henrietta Lacks without her consent (Skloot, 2011). She has not been informed of the reasons for making a culture with her cells. Additionally, the violation of respect for a person is evident when blood samples are taken from Deborah. She is not informed that the samples are meant to be used for further research on her mother’s cells. Instead, she thinks that she is being screened for cancer (Skloot, 2011). Respect for persons allows people to make informed decisions on things that are likely to affect their lives.
Justice
Human beings need to be treated equally before the law, regardless of their cultural backgrounds. The principle of justice requires institutions, including hospitals, to deliver services without discrimination (Giovanola & Tiribelli, 2022). In the book, violation of justice is exhibited in various scenarios. Justice was denied when the hospital concealed the information about Henrietta Lacks’ cells’ unique features. Moreover, justice was denied when the researchers involved in violating Henrietta Lacks’ rights went unscathed without punishment from a court of law. Furthermore, Henrietta Lacks’ family was not compensated for the troubles she suffered (Skloot, 2011). Discrimination is against the principle of justice and can be detrimental to social growth.
Beneficence
Interactions at professional levels require some acts of kindness and mercy. Beneficence is an ethical principle holding that physicians should always act in the interest of their patients. Therefore, there is a need to provide services that best benefit their patients and those related to them (Van Goidsenhoven & De Schauwer, 2022). In the book, the principle was violated when HeLa cell culture was used to profit medical researchers and not Henrietta Lacks (Skloot, 2011). Additionally, the blood sample taken from Deborah played a significant role in understanding the unique characteristics of Henrietta Lacks’ cells (Baptiste et al., 2022). However, she was not compensated and could not afford to attend medical school. Exercising beneficence makes the patients feel loved and appreciated by physicians.
Importance of Informed Consent
Informed consent is significant for research in the field of counseling. Through informed consent, clients make reasonable choices that protect them from any potential harm. Consequently, a counseling researcher and a therapist can take actions that are consistent with their client’s needs (Giovanola & Tiribelli, 2022). Moreover, informed consent builds trust between counseling researcher and their clients. Trust is essential for getting effective research outcomes that benefit the participants and researchers. Therefore, counselors must always seek consent from their clients or research participants for a collaborative and beneficial relationship.
Conducting Research with Vulnerable Populations
The vulnerable population can be limited to making informed consent during research. Consequentlgivingy, their natural rights can end up being violated by researchers (Van Goidsenhoven & De Schauwer, 2022). When conducting research with a vulnerable population, it is important to involve their close relatives. The family members can help them make informed decisions at every stage of the research. Moreover, it can be advisable for the researchers to take the mandate of informing the population about the need for the research and how it would benefit them (Baptiste et al., 2022). Making the vulnerable population aware of all necessary research information would prevent infringement of their natural rights.
Conclusion
Human rights principles are primal for any medical research regardless of their benefits to humanity. “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is an enthralling story of gross human rights violations in the context of cervical cancer research. In the story, the African American family of Henrietta Lacks is subjected to deception and manipulation. Although Henrietta Lacks’ cells were fundamental in the treatment research of cervical cancer, she and her family do not benefit from the research. From Henrietta Lacks’ story, counselors and other medical service providers must seek patients’ informed consent for an effective and beneficial outcome.
Reference
Baptiste, D., Caviness‐Ashe, N., Josiah, N., Commodore‐Mensah, Y., Arscott, J., Wilson, P. R., & Starks, S. (2022). Henrietta Lacks and America’s dark history of research involving African Americans. Nursing Open, 9(5), 2236–2238. Web.
Giovanola, B., & Tiribelli, S. (2022). Beyond bias and discrimination: Redefining the AI ethics principle of fairness in healthcare machine-learning algorithms. AI & Society. Web.
Skloot, R. (2011). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks. Crown Publishers.
Van Goidsenhoven, L., & De Schauwer, E. (2022). Relational ethics, informed consent, and informed assent in participatory research with children with complex communication needs. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 64(11), 1323-1329. Web.