Introduction
The film “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” is based on one of the best-selling books of the same title authored by Rebecca Skloot. The movie essentially told the story of three people. The first was Henrietta Lacks, her daughter Deborah Lacks, and the journalist (Rebecca Skloot) who researched the strange tale for over a decade and wrote the book. As such, it explored Henrietta’s story, an African American woman whose cancer cells were without her consent or knowledge taken in 1951 and utilized to become a critical medical tool leading to various scientific breakthroughs (Day, 2022). Deborah, on her part, learned about her mother’s legacy and the impact it had, and she became obsessed with it, making her the natural lead in the story as she never knew her mother and thus felt that a piece of the woman who birthed her was given to the rest of the world (Wolfe, 2017). Through it, Wolfe raised critical ethical questions concerning medical research and informed consent, especially concerning minorities.
Breach of Ethics
For decades, most people were never aware of who Henrietta Lacks was. This was despite her cells’ active role (coded as HeLa cells) played in saving countless lives for over 60 years (Day, 2022). Unlike most other cells, hers grew and lived continuously in culture, helping in the revolution of the medical field, notably with the developments of the polio vaccine, Parkinson’s disease treatments, cancer treatments, and cloning. As such, the fact that she was not known for such a long period spoke to the breaches that the film covered
Lack of Informed Consent
Primarily, there was the ethical issue of a lack of informed consent. Informed consent is a critical principle in medical ethics that requires patient awareness and complete information about a research study or a medical procedure to ensure voluntary participation (Maseme, 2022). As seen in the movie, Henrietta Lacks’ cancer cells were taken without her consent or even knowing when she received cervical cancer treatment. The African American woman was not even aware of the procedure undertaken (Wolfe, 2017). Moreover, neither she nor her family knew that her cells would be used for medical research. Henrietta never had the opportunity to comprehend the implications of her cells being taken and utilized for research. Even though there were no transparent practices for obtaining or informing consent from donors at the time, the Johns Hopkins Hospital violation was a clear ethical violation, showing the power dynamics between patients and medical establishments and the need for respect for patient autonomy.
Privacy Violations
Additionally, privacy violations were another ethical breach evident in the film. This moral issue often concerns the unauthorized use and release of personal information protected by confidentially. In the medical field, privacy is all about protecting any information sought from a patient, including their medical records and whatever they share in faith with healthcare practitioners (Maseme, 2022). In the movie, this ethical breach was evident all through. Primarily, Henrietta’s medical records, including her medical history and personal information, were publicized without her authority, raising confidentiality and security concerns. Scientists and researchers were also seen sharing Henrietta’s personal information (Wolfe, 2017). Besides, her cells and personal data were heavily commercialized in the film, including their sale to other researchers. As such, it showed how the facility violated Henrietta’s privacy and fundamental ethical guidelines in handling her personal information and medical records.
Vulnerable Populations Exploitation
Another ethical breach evident in the movie was the exploitation of vulnerable populations. In research, such people were often of great concern and required excellent protection by those involved, as in most cases, they were taken advantage of. In the movie, Henrietta’s lack of education and poverty meant she was ill-informed (Wolfe, 2017). As such, she could not comprehend what was being done to her. Besides, her ability to defend herself was compromised due to her disadvantaged background. As such, the hospital took advantage of this and went ahead with procedures even without her consent. This exploitation was also raised in how prisoners were used in medical research without permission.
Benefit Imbalance
The movie also showcased the ethical breach of benefit imbalance. This arose from the unequal distribution of benefits and costs in medical research. Essentially, there was a benefit imbalance between Henrietta and the medical institution as she and her family received no financial compensation or even recognition of her cells in research (Wolfe, 2017). Yet, the hospital benefited greatly up to and even selling her cells to other researchers. Other patients also went through the same imbalance as they were used for research without consent or even knowledge of the procedures and processes.
Lack of Communication
The final identified ethical breach was the lack of communication. Essentially, medical researchers must be as efficient and transparent in communicating with their patients and donors. Communication was also to be continuous. In the movie, Henrietta was unaware that her cells were harvested. Additionally, when the family tried to find out more about the research, they were constantly dismissed, with those they met being unresponsive or showcasing a dismissive attitude (Wolfe, 2017). This was a significant injustice to Henrietta and her family, as they deserved to know about all the aspects of HeLa cells through constant communication.
Scene Showing a Lack of Empathy to the Family
There were several instances where a lack of empathy for Henrietta’s family was depicted. However, this more significant empathy lack was more evident in the scene where Deborah Lacks visited one of the researchers at John Hopkins Hospital. Her obsession with her mother’s legacy pushed her to go there to try and learn about her mother and the cells taken from her. She was highly interested in knowing how they had been used in medical research and the role they continued to play (Wolfe, 2017). However, on arrival, the researcher she met was uninterested and dismissive. He frustrated her through and through and did little to answer the innocent daughter’s concerns and interests in her mother’s cells. The researcher was heavily engrossed in his work and treated Deborah as a mere annoyance.
The scene showed how Henrietta’s family was subjected to a lack of empathy. The researcher did not take time to reflect and understand the emotional impact and growing psychological torture that the family was going through, which made them decide to approach the facility to inquire. Additionally, the dismissive attitude of the researcher was a clear indication that whatever the family was going through was none of his business, which was quite surprising considering the same family’s contribution to the establishment (Wolfe, 2017). As such, the researcher completely ignored the impact of the medical research and procedures undertaken on Henrietta on the family.
Key Point to Integrate Into Future Nursing Practice
Several points can be drawn from the film that can be integrated into future nursing practice. However, all these can be summarized into one key point – respect. Respect is the intentional act of ensuring consideration is shown to another individual’s well-being and interest. As such, it is all about nurses acknowledging that patients have their preferences and carry around varied morals, values, thoughts, and ideas. With respect in place, issues identified in the movie, such as lack of informed consent, lack of empathy, privacy violations, and even lack of communication, will not exist in future research. Additionally, with it, nurses will be able to remain professional and ethical in their practices, ensuring high performance and creating a friendly and healthy environment in health settings. Besides, when nurses integrate it into future practice, there will be mutuality in their relations with patients, ensuring satisfaction and even ease in collaborating with patients in research, considering the role of nurses as clinical research coordinators (CRCs).
Conclusion
In conclusion, the film “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” truly depicted the injustices in medical research. Various medical ethical breaches were drawn from the scenes and the movie’s storyline, such as lack of informed consent, privacy violations, benefit imbalance, lack of communication, and exploitation of vulnerable populations in medical research. The scene involving Deborah and the researcher from Johns Hopkins Hospital also spoke to the lack of empathy in the film. From all these injustices, a critical point that can be drawn is the importance of respect. This can be applied effectively in research and practice for desirable and inclusive outcomes from the point of view of patients and the professionals themselves.
References
Day, J. A. (2022). Upholding the highest bioethical standards. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Web.
Maseme, M. (2022). Ethical considerations for health research data governance. Data Integrity and Data Governance [Working Title]. Web.
Wolfe, G. (2017). The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks [Film]. Cine Mosaic.