1 yr. ago • 94%

Thermo Fisher Scientific settles with family of Henrietta Lacks, whose HeLa cells uphold medicine

apnews.com Thermo Fisher Scientific settles with family of Henrietta Lacks, whose HeLa cells uphold medicine

The family of Henrietta Lacks is settling a lawsuit against a biotechnology company it accuses of improperly profiting from her cells.

More than 70 years after doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital took Henrietta Lacks’ cervical cells without her knowledge, a lawyer for her descendants said they have reached a settlement with a biotechnology company they sued in 2021, accusing its leaders of reaping billions of dollars from a racist medical system.

Science @beehaw.org Family of Henrietta Lacks, whose HeLa cells uphold medicine, settles with biotech company

15 comments

I doubt a settlement would ever be good enough, but at least it's something. Just another example of America fucking over a black woman.

14
- I’m sorry, but this is incredibly simplistic. How did they fuck her over? Lack of informed consent was certainly there, but was (unfortunately) not uncommon.
  
  -13
  
  I would say the lack of informed consent would be exactly it. I'm not sure why it not being uncommon makes a difference to whether or not it was an injustice.
  
  19
Lots of people claim to be lovers of science and ignore or are oblivious to the fact that the majority of the history of science is filled with crazy shit. Glad TSF paid up, an acknowledgment that wrong was done.

2

You've viewed 15 comments.