The family of Henrietta Lacks at the unveiling of a statue on the 70th anniversary of her death at Royal Fort House in Bristol.Photo:Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty
Ben Birchall/PA Images via Getty
The descendants ofHenrietta Lackshave reached a deal with a biotech company accused of taking the woman’s cervical cells without her consent while she was a patient at John Hopkins Hospital more than seven decades ago.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represented the family, announced a deal was reached with Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., according to theAssociated Press. The outlet reported the settlement followed closed-door negotiations inside Baltimore’s federal courthouse all day Monday and included some of Lacks’ grandchildren. Both sides released an identical statement on Tuesday, according toThe New York Times.
“Henrietta Lacks was not inferior — in fact, she was extraordinary,” Crump said at a news conference Tuesday morning, according to theWashington Post. “On this birthday, America should acknowledge that she was extraordinary in every way.”
Lacks, a mother of five, would have turned 103 on Tuesday, according toThe New York Times. She was 31 at the time of her death.
Crump declined to further comment during the press conference, per the outlet.
In a joint statement, both sides said they were pleased to resolve the matter and would not comment further, according to AP.
Known as HeLa cells, they continued to divide, and remained viable outside of her body in test tubes, allowing researchers to share the cell line widely and perform tests. HeLa cells have since contributed to a vast range of medical advancements, including vaccine development, cancer treatments, and AIDS research.
A photo of Henrietta Lacks sits in the living room of her grandson in Baltimore, MD.Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty
Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post via Getty
Lacks' family was unaware of her contribution to science for more than two decades,The New York Timesreported.
The suit against Thermo Fisher Scientific was first filed two years ago on behalf of the Henrietta Lacks estate, describing the use of cervical cells in a “racially unjust medical system,” according to theWashington Post.
The settlement that the Henrietta Lacks estate will receive remains undisclosed at this time, according to theWashington Post.
Lacks' grandson told the AP her only surviving child, 86-year-old Lawrence Lacks Sr., lived to see justice.
“There couldn’t have been a more fitting day for her to have justice, for her family to have relief,” Alfred Lacks Carter Jr. said. “It was a long fight — over 70 years — and Henrietta Lacks gets her day.”
source: people.com
