Women Who Defied Traditional Gender Roles
On October 27, 1951, Henrietta Lacks, an unknown historical figure at the time, made an unintentional but monumental contribution to science and medicine that would forever change history. Although she did not knowingly defy traditional gender roles, Henrietta’s story challenges the norms of patient consent and medical ethics, eventually inspiring a movement for patient rights.
Henrietta was an African American woman whose cells, taken without her knowledge during treatment for cervical cancer, became the first “immortal” human cells—meaning they could survive and multiply outside the body indefinitely. These cells, known as HeLa cells, went on to revolutionize medical research.
Her cells were taken without her consent, a common practice at the time, especially for African Americans and low-income patients, highlighting critical issues of race, ethics, and inequality in medical research.
Henrietta Lacks’ legacy eventually led to important changes in medical ethics, particularly regarding informed consent and the rights of patients over their biological material.
Her story has inspired advocates to push for transparency and respect in medical research, sparking discussions around the ethics of human tissue use. Though Henrietta was unknown and unrecognized in her lifetime, her contributions helped shape modern medicine, and she is now celebrated for sparking a movement toward patients’ rights and ethical standards in medical research.
On October 27, 1951, Henrietta passed away at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, but her cells lived on in labs across the world. Researchers used HeLa cells to develop the polio vaccine, study cancer, AIDS, gene mapping, and make advancements that would save millions of lives. Despite the enormous impact of her cells, Henrietta’s family remained unaware of the contributions she had unknowingly made to science for decades.