Part 1
Medical Research Ethics
Reflect on the following:
How did the Lacks family (Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks), the media, and the general population view the medical community during the 1950s? What is the Nuremberg Code? How was it used, and was it easily enforced? Why or why not?
How have ethics and laws around medical research with human subjects changed? How is the medical community viewed today, and what do you think would have happened in Henrietta Lacks’s case if she lived today? Support your response by citing 2 to 3 reputable sources.
Part 2
Patient Protection
Reflect on the following:
Do laws and regulations protect patients or do health professionals protect patients?
Thinking about laws and regulations, how would the events that led to the discovery and experimentation with HeLa cells have been different if they occurred today?
Research and identify a contemporary case in which laws and regulations failed to protect patients from violations of privacy, compliance, or ethics.
