The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lack’ Study Questions



The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Study Questions.PART 1What does chapter 1 suggest to you about Henrietta Lacks’ ability to understand and make informed decisions about her treatment at the clinic? What is your impression of Henrietta after reading chapter 2?Read the Operation Permit that Henrietta signed in chapter 3. Do you think it gave the hospital the right to take tissue from Henrietta for research purposes? Do you think Henrietta was able to understand what she was signing?What is your impression of Dr. Gey? What evidence of his dedication to his work is given in chapter 4?After reading chapter 5, how well do you think Henrietta understood her illness? Her treatment? From what was related in chapter 6, how well do you think the Lacks family understood what had been done with Henrietta’s cells?After reading chapter 7, why was the development of an “immortal” cell line like HeLa potentially so important to medical research?In chapter 8, the status of doctors is discussed. How did the elevated status of doctors in the 1950s affect the quality of the medical care they gave to their patients, both positively and negatively?Based on your reading of chapter 9, why do you think people are unwilling to talk to the author?What is your impression of Clover, given the description in chapter 10?Given the descriptions in chapter 11 and other chapters, how close was the Lacks family? How does their family compare to your own, or to others you know about?PART 2In chapter 12, why was it a surprise for Dr. Gey’s assistant to suddenly think of Henrietta as a person when she saw the chipped toenail polish? Do doctors and scientists tend to see patients as bodies or specimens rather than as people? What other examples of this can you see in this book? Should doctors and scientists do this? Why or why not?After reading chapter 13, decide if Microbiological Associates have the right to begin growing and selling HeLa cells, even though they had played no role in developing them? Why or why not?Chapter 14In Chapter 14, there is the ethical question of whether Gey and his colleagues should have informed the Lacks family about the origins of HeLa? Do you believe they should have? Why or why not?After reading Chapter 15, discuss the terrible conditions of childhood for Henrietta’s children as a result of their mother’s death. Compare the Lacks family history presented in Chapter 16 to that of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings.What were the justifications given for Southam’s failure to inform his subjects in Chapter 17? What do you think of those justifications?Chapter 18 discusses cell fusion. Do you approve or not approve of the idea of scientists creating human-animal hybrids for research? Why?Chapter 19, returns to the story of the Lacks children. How has their past affected them as adults?Chapter 20 - The HeLa Bomb leads to an effort to develop markers. Why will the effort require contacting the Lacks family?After reading chapter 21, what was the original intent of Johns Hopkins in setting up the hospital? Did the doctors working at the hospital live up to that intent?After reading Part 2, would you volunteer to serve as a subject in medical research, as George Gey did? Why or why not?PART 3After reading chapter 23, do you think the investigators treated the Lacks family ethically? If not, do you think it was intentional or a misunderstanding?After reading chapter 24, do you think that Johns Hopkins should be penalized or required to reimburse the Lacks family for using Henrietta Lacks’ tissue samples to develop and distribute HeLa?Chapter 25, What is the author’s position on the issue of ownership of tissues used in medical research? What evidence did you use to make that judgment? What is your own position on this issue? How do you feel about the decisions by the Court of Appeals and the California Supreme Court? Chapter 26, do you think that federal rules regarding patient confidentiality are necessary? Why?Chapter 27, should research manipulating DNA be allowed? Why or why not?Chapter 28, Were the consequences of increased recognition of Henrietta Lacks positive or negative for the Lacks family? Explain.Chapter 29, When Rebecca reaches for the medical records Deborah snapped (p. 239), “We ain’t ready for that!” What does that response signify to you?Chapter 30, Zakariyya commented, “Only people that can get any good from my mother cells is the people that got money, and whoever selling them cells – they get rich off our mother and we got nothing.” Do you think this statement is correct? What should the Lacks family get?Chapter 31, How would you feel if you discovered that your mother’s cells had been used in so many different research programs? How would your reactions be similar to Deborah’s? How would they differ?Chapter 32, Zakariyya acted very differently when he left the lab. Why do you think that was?Chapter 33, Paul Lurz said, “Sometimes learning can be just as painful as not knowing.” Do you think that was true for Deborah? Can you think of situations in your own life where this has been true?Chapter 34, what do you think was the underlying reason for Deborah’s volatility that evening?Chapter 35, What is “catharsis”? Would you use that term to describe Deborah’s reaction to Gary’s prayers?Chapter 36, Which explanation for the immortality of Henrietta’s cells seems better, or more correct, to you? Why?Chapter 37, How can you explain Deborah’s acceptance and calm determination after her stroke?Chapter 38, Why did Deborah come to such a different position regarding getting money for her mother’s cells? ................
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