Also, consent forms do not serve as a substitute for discussion. The participant’s signature provides documentation of agreement to participate in a study, but is only one part of the consent process. The consent document should be used as a guide for the verbal explanation of the study and should be the basis for a meaningful discussion between the researcher and the participant. The consent form that Henrietta signed gave permission to perform “operative procedures…they may deem necessary…in care and treatment.” (Skloot, 31) No where in the consent form did it say “obtaining samples for research purposes.” Not only that, but obtaining informed consent from a potential research participant is much more than a simple signature on a legal document. I believe that neither Gey nor TeLinde had the right to obtain samples from Henrietta’s cervix for research purposes. Sadly, like myself and many others, I do not always read thoroughly through consent forms because I always thought it was just unimportant information that was not needed to be clarified by the doctor so why read it? On the other hand, I do think that she would have given explicit consent to have the hospital take a tissue sample from her for medical research purposes. and to take samples of my cells for research purposes.” In the world of today it is considered unethical to take samples of anything from a patient without his or her consent. It should have been clearly stated in the form “I hereby give consent to the staff of the John Hopkins Hospital to …. Taking the samples was breaking the rules of the form. Taking cells from Henrietta to see if they could be reproduced has nothing to do with a treatment of Henrietta and her cancer therefore it was not needed. Even if Henrietta signed the consent form, it only stated that the staff could perform procedures that are necessary for the treatment of her illness which was cancer. I honestly do not think that TeLinde and Gey had the right to take a sample of Henrietta’s cells from her cervix. Skloot through finding out new information about Henrietta. (Skloot, 241) Also, by including herself in the story it shows the significance of the bond that was formed between Deborah and Ms. Zakariyya was the most angry about their mother’s death, and because of that he was unsupportive in finding out new information on her. In my opinion her curiosity is what, in a sense, encouraged Deborah to want to learn more about her mother, because she had someone there to support her even when her own family didn’t. Skloot included herself in the story because had she not, readers would probably think that she was just like every other reporter, who just wanted the information about Henrietta to be nosey and make money. Skloot was genuinely curious as to what happened to Henrietta. Skloot’s diction and inclusion of herself supports that she really was interested in the Lacks family story, that she wasn’t like all the other reporters who were simply looking for a story to make money off of. Skloot had not been a part of the story, I personally believe that the story would not have been as interesting as it was. Lastly, it explains how Henrietta had a ‘tough’ personality, making her not the type of person to inform others of her problems this made it even harder for Skloot to find out information on Henrietta’s life. I believe it must have been extremely difficult to have found the information on her discovery of her tumor in the tub because it was uncommon for women to tell men these details. On page 15, Henrietta first discovered her cervical cancer due to the pain she felt and curiosity of what was causing her body to feel this way. Thankfully, the Lacks’ family was able to sense Skloot’s real interests and gave her multiple facts referring to Henrietta’s background/ life, especially Deborah, Henrietta’s daughter. Skloot writes, “Since Henrietta Lacks died decades before I began writing this book, I relied on interviews, legal documents, and her medical records to re-create scenes from her life.” (Skloot xiv) Being interested in Henrietta Lacks’ life since high school, Skloot shows her dedication towards the subject through the extensive time she has spent finding every detail to inform her readers.
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