Rebecca Skloot's Reading

I went to this reading last night at the pink palace, and honestly, I really wasn’t thrilled to go. I learned from Percival Everett’s reading that I shouldn’t prejudge these things, but this one was going to be nonfiction and about DNA. Even though we are learning a little bit about it in Biology, I still wasn’t that excited, but figured I should get my credits out of the way.

The talk actually consisted of a very interesting-but true-story where scientists were able to grow cancer cells from this one woman’s malignant tumor-completely without her knowledge or consent. The discussion went from what I thought what going to be a science lesson to a really huge ethical, moral dilemma.

The issue that the topic kept coming back to, or what I thought was the issue, was the notion that scientists see people as test subjects. Well, this was just one part of a large discussion, but I felt this was the core of it all. Not only did a doctor take cells from this woman without her consent, but her family was also lied to and manipulated later by other scientists. These scientists didn’t care what measures they took, as long as they got their research material. It was like people weren’t even human to them, though they are human themselves. This actually touches upon a topic I don’t really like to get into myself, but it does cause you to think.

I kept thinking how I would react in that situation. If I had parts of my body (no matter how small) taken from me without my consent to be researched and analyzed, and sent out all over the world. It’s a scary thought. Personally, I don’t think it’s right at all. I think people do own things like their own cells. I realize that this is for the good of science and definitely our future, considering they were studying cancer. But I don’t think the measures they used to achieve those goals were right at all.

Well I can say this. I definitely can’t go to the doctor without being extremely paranoid now.