The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Argumentative Essay : Journalism

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is the story of an African-American woman whose cancer cells were harvested and used to create an immortal cell line for scientific research. The author, Rebecca Skloot, first heard about Henrietta Lacks' story in college, and ever since then, she was intrigued. Skloot wanted to discover the truth about Henrietta's cells, and her disease. Throughout the novel, Rebecca Skloot upholds the SPJ’s Code of Ethics in her work. Skloot continues to collect, compile, and obtain information to strengthen her claim, she identifies her sources clearly, while also giving a voice to the voiceless, in this case, the Lacks family. The author, Rebecca Skloot, did not cross an ethical line for journalists by including herself in the story, because it provided a better internal point of view for readers and there is no clause in the code of ethics that prohibits her from doing so. 

With writing this story, came a lot of patience, time, and understanding. Skloot took the time to meet with all the family members she could. The more information she received from them, the more impactful their story. Throughout her book, she continued to gather important facts and information about Henrietta, her family, her illness, and her cells. Here shows some of Skloot's notes, after her phone call with Henrietta’s daughter, Deborah Lacks. “She hung up and I sat stunned, receiver crooked in my neck, frantically scribbling notes I didn’t understand, like brother = murder, mail = bad, man stole Henrietta’s medical records, and Hospital for Negro Insane,” (Skloot 249-250).  As shown with the information above, Skloot was continuously taking notes and gathering as much information as she could, while managing to not change the way anyone spoke. Her drive and compassion to collect further information shows her journalist skills, and allows her to uphold the SPJ’s Ethic Code. 

While maintaining steady information from the family and Henrietta's doctors, Skloot made all of her sources clear, and easy to understand. Not only are all the sources labeled and easy to identify, but they are also all very reliable and relevant to the story. For example, Skloot always cites her sources by stating who said what, when, and why. ““I’ll never forget it,” Aurelian said. “George told me he leaned over Henrietta’s bed and said, ‘Your cells will make you immortal.’ He told Henrietta her cells would help save the lives of countless people, and she smiled. She told him she was glad her pain would come to some good for someone.”” (Aurelian 107).  As shown here, Skloot cited all her sources with as much information as she should. Not only does she state who said what, she also states everything directly from that who spoke. She does not change the diction, the punctuation, nor the spelling. She keeps it exactly as is, which makes her work that much more credible. With that, Skloot remains to uphold the SPJ’s Code of Ethic guidelines. 

All throughout this novel, Skloot manages to complete one of the most important tasks on the list of SPJ’s Code of Ethics, giving a voice to the voiceless. This story took place back in 1951, in the South. The Lacks, being an African American family, were not given a voice. Their opinion did not matter to the medical system, nor to the doctors treating Henrietta. Their story was untold, their situation was unheard of. The Lacks family was given no voice, but Skloot changed that. After her book came out, Henrietta’s story was becoming more known, the Lacks family was getting more information, it was like Skloot's novel turned the table for Henrietta, her family,  and their story. Their opinions became more valuable, their personal stories more acknowledged, they were finally given a voice. “We were left in the dark. For the past 60 years, we were pulled into science without consent and weren’t given a voice, until now” (Jeri Lacks Whye 281). As shown with the quoted information provided, Skloot helped the Lacks family see their importance, and showed them that their opinion and their story mattered. That they deserved answers, and they deserved to be heard. One of the biggest takeaways from being a journalist is helping those, who need it, find their voice, and that is what Skloot did for the Lacks family. They finally began receiving answers about Henrietta, her illness, and her cells, which explains why Skloot's work does in fact uphold the SPJ’s Code of Ethic guidelines.  

Some may say that Skloot stepped out of place by including herself in the novel, and becoming a part of the Lackes story, but nowhere in the ethical code guidelines does it state that she is not allowed too. Engaging herself into the book only provides a better internal point of view for the readers. Introducing herself in ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’ does not cross any code of conduct for journalists. Not only do the guidelines state nothing about an author not being allowed to include oneself into another's story, but, this story may have never been told, not acknowledged if it wasn't for Rebecca Skloot. She is a huge part of why this story is where it is today, and deserves to be recognized for her accomplishments. 

The story of an African-American woman whose cancer cells were collected and used to build an immortal cell line for scientific study is told in ‘The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks’. Rebecca Skloot, the author, first learned about Henrietta Lacks' story in college and has been fascinated by it ever since. Skloot was interested in learning more about Henrietta's cells and disease. Rebecca Skloot follows the SPJ's Code of Ethics throughout her work in the book. Skloot proceeds to collect, compile, and acquire evidence to support her claim; she explicitly describes her sources while also offering the voiceless, in this case, the Lacks family, a voice.