Medical Giants Are Just Starting to Atone For Making Billions Off Henrietta Lacks’ Cells Without Her Consent
An attempt to pay reparations for the use of HeLa cells doesn’t go nearly far enough
For decades, pharmaceutical companies and research institutions have profited off the use of Henrietta Lacks’ cells for experiments. Lacks, a Black woman, died in 1951, and neither she nor her family benefited from the profits of that research.
Her cells, called HeLa cells, were collected without her consent during a diagnostic procedure the same year she died. Commonly referred to as an “immortal” cell line, HeLa cells continually reproduce outside the body and as such are very useful for research. They were used to develop vaccines for polio and human papilloma virus, conduct AIDS research, and find treatments for cancer. Doing so generated billions of dollars in revenue for those companies and institutions. Only recently have some of them begun to try to pay back what they stole.
On October 29, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) made a six-figure donation to the Henrietta Lacks Foundation, which provides financial assistance to people and families who have undergone experiments without their consent. HHMI has a $20.1 million endowment.
