Should People be Able to Control Their Tissue Samples After Donation?

    Imagine helping find new vaccines and medicines, but not knowing or getting the recognition you deserve. Not only did Henrietta Lacks go through that along with the suffering and pain of different diseases, but she had her own cells taken from her without knowing what doctors or scientists were doing with them. But, the reason for this was because they aren't just like any regular cells, these cells are immortal. In the 1950's it was hard for researchers to keep culture cells alive to perform different experiments and come up with new innovations. With Henrietta's cells otherwise known to the Health community as "HeLa," these samples made it much easier for everyone as they don't die, furthering doctors and scientists to sale them for study all while keeping the profits, not giving the Lacks family one red cent or even giving recognition to the late Henrietta Lacks. 

   

     For my summer read choice I decided to read The Immortal Life Of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot. In the "Afterword" chapter of the book, Skloot talks about how in previous years, storing blood and tissue samples did not require "informed consent," so patients weren't getting the full knowledge of what their samples were being used for. Now, times are different with more strict guidelines. Today, consent is required and donors must be informed if their tissue samples will be used in research or lead to profits.

    So, the question in science and medicine today is, should there be even more new and strict rules regarding what happens to samples after they're donated ?  Cell samples can be used for different research  ranging from nuclear weapons to abortions. Many of which can interfere with a patient's personal beliefs. So, even after the samples are no longer apart of someone's body, should there be more detailed consent forms of where someones donation goes and how it's used? Should people be able to control their tissue  even if it's no longer apart of their bodies?