[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 40 (Monday, March 14, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E299]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF HENRIETTA LACKS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 14, 2016

  Mr. CUMMINGS. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to celebrate Mrs. Henrietta 
Lacks, whose family knew her as a phenomenal woman. Decades after her 
death, the world now knows her phenomenal life-giving contributions.
   Mrs. Lacks could hardly have known the impact her life would have. 
She grew up humbly in rural Virginia, moving as a young mother with her 
husband Day to find opportunity in Baltimore. The Lacks family 
continued to grow until she received her fateful diagnosis. The doctors 
at Johns Hopkins attempted to treat her cervical cancer, but were 
unable to save her life.
   Of course, that is not the end of the story. In fact, her story is 
still being told through her immortal cells, the first to replicate 
indefinitely, providing clinicians with an invaluable resource for 
their medical research.
   In her lifetime, Henrietta Lacks never witnessed a man land on the 
moon. She could have hardly imagined that her cells would travel in 
space to help determine the effects of zero gravity.
   Mrs. Lacks died decades before the discovery of AIDS. And still, her 
cells have contributed to treatments for those living with HIV.
   That is immortality. This woman, who gave so much to her family in 
life, continues to give in her death.
   As we celebrate her contributions, we must also acknowledge that 
they were not freely given. As an African-American woman of few means, 
she was not afforded in life the respect that she deserved. Her cells 
were used without her knowledge or her consent.
   In fact, Henrietta Lacks' family did not know that her cells had 
been cultivated until researchers contacted them 25 years after her 
death requesting additional genetic material.
   How could they have known the lengths her cells had traveled? Or the 
fortunes they had made?
   It is tragic that the gift that Henrietta Lacks gave the world was 
really not a gift at all.
   Still, the Lacks family continues to give. They have not shared in 
the riches that the HeLa cells have made possible. But they have 
reclaimed their privacy rights, working in cooperation with the 
National Institutes of Health to control access to their family's 
genetic code. Today, their experience informs discussions of bioethics 
and patient consent.
   Truly, there will never be another Henrietta Lacks. This phenomenal 
woman left a legacy of generosity and humility in her remarkable 
family. I am proud to introduce a resolution today in the House of 
Representatives to honor Mrs. Henrietta Lacks.
   This Women's History Month, I am honored to recognize Mrs. Henrietta 
Lacks, her life, and her remarkable place in history. On behalf of a 
grateful nation, thank you to the Lacks family for the countless ways 
you have enriched our lives.

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