Ethics reflection paper

ETHICS REFLECTION PAPER

Based on: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack by Rebecca Skloot and the Code of Ethics for Health Education Profession (App. B)

Directions: This is a reflection assignment.  Address the problems involved with each section of the Code of Ethics and answer the questions below.  Use full sentences.

Explain how each ethical section listed below from THE CODE OF ETHICS was violated by this event. Also answer the questions posed.  Add your own comments at the end.

100 points; 5 points each question.

1. Article I Section 1
2. Article I Section  6
3. Article II Section 2
4. Article II Section 5
5. Article II Section 6
6. Article III Section 4
7. Article V Section 1
8. Article V Section 2
9. Article V Section 3
10. Article V Section 4
11. Article V Section 5
12. Article V Section 6
13. Article V Section 7
14. Question-Did TeLinde and Gey have the right to obtain a tissue sample from Henrietta Lack’s cervix to use in their research?
15. Question-What information is necessary for informed consent?
16. Question-Do you fell Henrietta would have given consent to have a tissue sample used in medical research?
17. Question-What rights were violated in releasing Henrietta Lacks medical records to the press without her or her family’s consent?
18. Question- Dr. McKusick directed Susan Hsu to contact Henrietta’s children for blood samples to “further HeLa research”. Was this an ethical request?  Was informed consent obtained?  Why or why not?
19. Do you feel that Henrietta’s experience with the medical system would have been different if she were white? Review the John Moore (Mo) case.  Compare these 2 cases.
20. Your Own Comments about this ethical dilemma.

 

Answer

The book, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks,” by Rebecca Skloot depicts a medical
research event that violated many ethical codes in healthcare. Henrietta Lacks was a poor
African woman who had cervical cancer. In 1951, scientists took her cells without her consent or
knowledge (Skloot, 2017). Her cells have been used over the years in significant groundbreaking
medical research, from finding polio vaccine to cloning. Despite this, she never got any credit for
her contributions, with her family unable to afford insurance.

1. Article I Section 1
In the book, the scientists and researchers involved in the harvesting of Lacks’ cells
were racist, unfair, and dishonest. They harvested the cells of an African American slave and
failed to pay her family, which was racist.
2. Article I Section 6
The healthcare professionals were not conscious of Lacks’ racial diversity. They were
aware of the challenges facing black Americans during that period, and yet they still violated
her right to privacy and informed consent. They failed to provide financial assistance to her
family despite the success of Lacks’ cells.
3. Article II Section 2
The healthcare professionals involved in Lacks’ case behaved irresponsibly…[Click here to buy full answer]