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Morgan Smith
Miss VanderSlik
ENGL 100-15
02 December 2014 (Resubmission)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks: The Choice
When given the opportunity to either donate or sell for a greater cause, people are more
than likely to donate. Although, when the occasion arises where that opportunity is retracted, or
not even presented as an option, it becomes an issue that is not only personal to the owner, but
also legally hurtful. This pertains closely to worldly objects, but in the case of Henrietta Lacks
and her family, it applies to her cells. The Lacks family was never given a chance to fight for
their right to say yes or no. If either Henrietta or her family were asked for consent, and were
informed and educated on how the cells would be used, it can be believed that they would, more
than likely, choose to donate for the greater good of health.
When Henrietta found out that she had cancer, it was already a large enough shock in
itself. Then to top it off, she was never presented all of the facts, whether it was about her body
and its condition, or the fact that her cells were taken and used for science that she had no
knowledge of:
With Henrietta unconscious on the operating table in the center of the room, her feet in
stirrups, the surgeon on duty, Dr. Lawrence Wharton Jr., sat on a stool between her legs. He
peered inside Henrietta, dilated her cervix, and prepared to treat her tumor. But first --- though
no one had told Henrietta that TeLinde was collecting samples or asked if she wanted to be a
donor --- Wharton picked up a sharp knife and shaved two dime-sized pieces of tissue from

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Henriettas cervix: one from her tumor, and one from the healthy cervical tissue nearby. Then he
placed the samples in a glass dish (Skloot 33).
It is completely explained here that Henrietta was never even given the choice to think or
know about the situation at hand. Being that it was the 1950s, and Henrietta was a young black
woman, there were not many rights she would have been given anyway.
Though so much has literally grown and become of Henriettas cells, there still should
have been a choice given to her. She owned the cells, they were hers. Then they were stolen, and
she made no profit nor gained any recognition because it was kept a secret for so long. Many
black individuals at the time were afraid to ask questions or know their rights, because they were
the minority. In the 1950s, their rights did not much matter to anyone. Their low education and
lack of knowledge was taken advantage of time and time again. They never considered the
personalities of their patients. Their outlook on life could have very much to do with how they
make their decisions. The way that Henriettas family describes her is giving, fun, loving, and
she was always there for anyone. Hennie made life come alive -- bein with her was like bein
with fun, Sadie told me, staring toward the ceiling as she talked. Hennie just love peoples. She
was a person that could really make the good things come out of you (Skloot 43). Even though
this is true, many people would believe otherwise; because of her lack of education, they find it
easy to believe that she wouldnt agree to donating.
Though most of what is stated seems to be true, there is a lot of evidence that goes
against this. In Henriettas situation, she only had a sixth grade education level. This
compromised her abilities to fully understand the doctors, which is partly what stressed her the
first time she went in:

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It was no surprise that she hadnt come back all those times for follow-up. For Henrietta,
walking into Hopkins was like entering a foreign country where she didnt speak the language.
She knew about harvesting tobacco and butchering a pig, but shed never heard the words cervix
or biopsy. She didnt read and write much, and she hadnt studied science in school. She, like
most black patients, only went to hopkins when she thought she had no choice (Skloot 18).
It was assumed by many doctors that because ones education was not as advanced as
others, it was best not to confuse them:
Theres no indication that Henrietta questioned him; like most patients in the 1950s, she
deferred to anything her doctors said. This was a time when benevolent deception was a
common practice -- doctors often withheld even the most fundamental information from their
patients, sometimes not giving them any diagnosis at all. They believed it was best not to confuse
or upset patients with frightening terms they might not understand, like cancer. Doctors knew
best, and most patients didnt question that (Skloot 63).
Because of the chance that she could have been frightened by the medical news, it could
be inferred that she would have never even considered donating, even if it meant not helping
science grow.
In conclusion, though evidence may steer towards the idea that she would not have
chosen to donate, there is more evidence that shows that she would have. Looking at the
opposing views, they only show that the doctors took the situation into their own hands and
assumed that because she did not have an acceptable education level, she would have not
understood. There is no evidence that shows that she would not have been willing to donate.
Looking at her personality and persistent care for others, and with the right amount of

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explanation and patience, she would have been more than likely to consider the option of
donating to help science.

Work Cited
Skloot, Rebecca. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. New York: Broadway Books, 2010.
Print.