Informed consent is the patient's permission being given to a specialist for treatment with full knowledge of the potential dangers and benefits. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot addresses the treatment offered at Johns Hopkins in the 1950s and at Tuskegee. The Tuskegee syphilis study and uninformed consent have become prevalent issues in the medical community leading to the formulation of laws and regulations to address these issues. These laws and regulations have been passed down for generations and will continue to do so because of the unethical uninformed consent disasters caused by Johns Hopkins, the Tuskegee syphilis study, and the incident involving Henrietta Lacks having her immortal cells stolen . The Tuskegee syphilis study was one of the most important cases determining the future of informed consent. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Tuskegee syphilis case was a serious topic in the 1930s. Poor, uneducated black men were used for research when they thought they were receiving treatment. Syphilis medications were available when the investigation began, but the decision was made to withhold those from members without their insight and to track the course of untreated syphilis in these African American men. The drug was penicillin, which was a known treatment for syphilis at the time, but the men were given placebos instead of medicines that would actually cure them because the doctors wanted to continue their research without these men knowing. According to the Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Donna Batten, “The Tuskegee Syphilis Study led to new laws requiring informed consent for medical experiments on humans” (Batten 1/3). The Tuskegee Syphilis Study affected many lives because doctors were so focused on medical research rather than saving lives. The guidelines developed were under the direction of the National Commission for the Protection of Human Subjects of Biomedical and Behavioral Research. They were “…charged with identifying the basic ethical principles that should underlie the conduct of biomedical research involving human subjects and with developing guidelines that should be followed to ensure that such research is conducted in accordance with those principles” (Mandal. et all 2/4). These guidelines were created against these unethical practices because the study led to many men being permanently affected or even dying because doctors used them as a research project rather than increasing their chances of healing. Another example of how informed consent has been changed forever in connection with Johns Hopkins Hospital. Johns Hopkins is known for its many medical advances and research achievements over the years. Many believe that Johns Hopkins has done them a disservice by using uninformed consent for research. The doctors and people who work at Johns Hopkins claim that they have done nothing wrong, that they have simply fueled research for the sake of science; their website makes them seem credible and trustworthy. According to the Johns Hopkins website, "The current system of oversight, which requires informed consent for most clinical research, arose from a scandal-filled period in which people were used in research and exposed to significant risks without their knowledge or consent..." (Johns Hopkins University/Hub 2014). They claim that since in the 1950s nothere was no regulation on cell research and informed consent, they did nothing wrong. And yes, it is true that there was no regulation on cellular research, but in the 1980s, new laws and regulations called common rules were created; it read as follows: “requirements to ensure compliance by research institutions and requirements for researchers who obtain and document informed consent” (Mandal. Et all 3⁄4). This ties back to informed consent because Johns Hopkins has not obtained consent for the numerous research projects it has conducted, especially when it comes to African-Americans. Many poor and outraged African Americans believed the tales and stories of Johns Hopkins kidnapping blacks and using them as test subjects. Many say these stories are true. This was a commonly held fear in surrounding cities due to Johns Hopkins' history of ignoring informed consent for research purposes. Johns Hopkins also plays an important role in the Henrietta Lacks case. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks portrays the authentic story of Henrietta Lacks and what she had to go through as she was a minority and had special cells. Rebecca Skloot not only mentions the challenges Henrietta faced, but also the role Johns Hopkins and Tuskegee played in them. He touches on the topic in chapter six, when Skloot refers to the oral presentation he gave in history class. It addresses the uninformed consensus, the fact that they were all poor, uneducated black men and that doctors and nurses watched them die a slow, painful death (Skloot 50). This is not the only instance in which Skloot alludes to the topic of uninformed consent; he talks about it mostly in regards to Johns Hopkins and Henrietta's case. Henrietta did not have cell tissue stolen from John's Hopkins Hospital from the cancer biopsy. She was completely unaware of the chain of immortal cells contained in her body and had no idea that doctors were constantly researching her and testing her cells. They grew so much that its cells were called HeLa and even sold around the world. In the prologue, Skloot is interviewing Deborah, when Deborah says, “All I remember is that he had this disease, and right after he died they called me into the office asking for permission to take a sample of some kind. I decided not to let him” (Skloot 4). This ties back to informed consent because the doctors not only did not obtain consent from Henrietta or her family, but they backtracked and used her cells for their own benefit and profit. Please note: this is just a sample. Get a custom paper now from our expert writers. Get a Custom Essay Tuskegee, Johns Hopkins, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks have many things in common, but the main topic is uninformed consent. Tuskegee has the syphilis case where doctors did research on African American men who had syphilis and did nothing to help them, and Johns Hopkins took cells for research on many occasions, and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks because the Henrietta's cells were taken from Henrietta without consent and integrated into a business that makes money by buying and selling HeLa. While we may never have had the amazing advances we have today in medicine thanks to HeLa, doctors simply didn't ask for it. In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot's address is the treatment given at Johns Hopkins in Tuskegee. Syphilis study and uninformed consent have become prevalent issues in the medical community, which has led to the formulation of laws and regulations to address these issues. Works CitedBatten, D.. (2022)..