Henrietta Lacks Inequality
Inequalities of Race In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, race is one of the main themes as Skloot tells her story about Henrietta. When Henrietta goes to the doctor to discover some pain that she has and how the doctors took samples out of her without her consent. Since she is African American, the doctors assume that she is uneducated and do not tell her what is wrong with her body. Henrietta was not the only one though, in the 1950's doctors attempted various procedures on African Americans and other races like Latinos. Many were exploited and their bodies were used for medical reasons and were not treated like human beings, but like experiments. In the reading, Notes on the State of Virginia, Thomas Jefferson discusses the
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His argument is that “the real distinctions which nature has made; and many other circumstances, will divide us into parties, and produce convulsions, which will probably never end but in the extermination of the one or the other race”(Jefferson 552). Jefferson is stating that there is a barrier between whites and blacks and sooner or later the superior race will be the only race. This connects to Henrietta because although Hopkins treats African Americans, they are still segregated and are not given the correct treatments and that is the barrier. Jefferson also states “in general, their existence appears to participate more of sensation than reflection” and that is not true because Henrietta's cells were an amazing discovery and has contributed to many vaccines and discoveries regarding medication and illnesses so her participation was more than sensation (Jefferson 553). Another contradiction is Jefferson claims that “...they are inferior in the faculties of reason and imagination, must be hazarded with great diffidence” which is also not true because Henrietta for example was a confident and loving woman who loved to have fun and was far from shy. Jeffersons claims were merely out of racist views rather than actual facts. His claims had no evidence, there was no support for his words and the base of all issues were of race and not actual
His argument is that “the real distinctions which nature has made; and many other circumstances, will divide us into parties, and produce convulsions, which will probably never end but in the extermination of the one or the other race”(Jefferson 552). Jefferson is stating that there is a barrier between whites and blacks and sooner or later the superior race will be the only race. This connects to Henrietta because although Hopkins treats African Americans, they are still segregated and are not given the correct treatments and that is the barrier. Jefferson also states “in general, their existence appears to participate more of sensation than reflection” and that is not true because Henrietta's cells were an amazing discovery and has contributed to many vaccines and discoveries regarding medication and illnesses so her participation was more than sensation (Jefferson 553). Another contradiction is Jefferson claims that “...they are inferior in the faculties of reason and imagination, must be hazarded with great diffidence” which is also not true because Henrietta for example was a confident and loving woman who loved to have fun and was far from shy. Jeffersons claims were merely out of racist views rather than actual facts. His claims had no evidence, there was no support for his words and the base of all issues were of race and not actual