Shabbaton
Immortal Life: Family, Justice, and the Cost of Medical Advancement
Thu / Jan 28 / 7:00 pm
Veronica Robinson and Shirley Lacks
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Henrietta Lacks was a Black woman whose tumor cells were preserved without her knowledge or consent for research in the early 1950s and became the first “immortal” cells.
“HeLa” cells have been used to research some of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th century, from the polio vaccine to cloning to IVF.
Neither Lacks nor her family was ever compensated for their use, and the Lacks family only became aware of HeLa in the 1970s. Ever since, knowledge of its origins has raised critical questions of biomedical ethics, patient privacy and rights, and the true cost of scientific advancement. As we navigate both the recent medical strides and the deep inequities of our healthcare system, Henrietta’s story and legacy remain an essential part of the conversation.
Veronica Robinson is Henrietta Lacks’s great-granddaughter. Inspired by Henrietta’s story, she is currently studying at Baltimore City Community College to become a registered nurse. She represents the Lacks family on the National Institute of Health panel that reviews applications to conduct research using the HeLa genome and serves as an Ambassador for former President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative.
Shirley Lacks is Henrietta Lacks’s daughter-in-law and Deborah Lacks’s childhood best friend. Since retiring from the banking industry, Shirley has dedicated much of her time to traveling around the country, keeping Henrietta’s legacy alive as a promise to her sister-in-law, Deborah. Henrietta’s enormous contribution to science has afforded Shirley the opportunity to be a voice for patient rights.
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