If Henrietta had been treated today, what would be similar and/or different about her treatment?
Do race and class affect research today? If so, how?
How have the HeLa cells affected advancement in science today? What was so morally wrong about testing African American men infected with syphilis (i.e. Tuskegee)?
What is the importance of the myths and rumors about Johns Hopkins and the treatment of African American people (i.e. ghost stealing)? Rebecca Skloot explains her run around with the family, even in modern times. What does this say about the dynamic of culture barriers that still exist?
Why do you think George Gey gave out so many HeLa cells for free?
Is the benefit from research worth the past pain, suffering, and deaths of those compromised in the process? (i.e. Tuskegee)
Do you agree with the theory that there was significant contamination of HeLa cells?
Do you think scientists agreed and just denied it to save money and reputation? Cancer research has been ongoing for decades yet new cancers continue to be discovered.
How would you use HeLa or cancer funding most efficiently?
Why do you think that medical professionals still go under the table to get cells and other biological elements without patient consent?
What do you think contributed to the delay of dispatched information about the woman behind the cells?
Should the family of Henrietta Lacks be compensated for her cells, which were sold in the millions?
Do you think the publication of this book will help families suffering from similar deception as the family of Henrietta Lacks?
Do you think the Lacks family deserves credit for the HeLa cells? From an ethical standpoint, how do you feel about Henrietta Lacks’ cells being taken without permission?
Consider the laws and regulations current at that time. Do you think the author, Rebecca Skloot, did the Lacks family justice in the story she told?
Do you sympathize with the scientists and doctors in the HeLa situation or with the author and the Lacks family? Why?
How do you think the Lacks family is doing now? Do you think they feel better about the HeLa cell situation now? How do you think Henrietta’s children’s lives might have been different had she been given credit and acknowledgment for her cells at the time they were taken?[1]
[1] North Carolina State, Undergraduate Academic Programs, 2012 Common Readings for Incoming Students, http://www.ncsu.edu/uap/reading/docs/HeLa-Discussion-Questions.pdf
