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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, In 1951, Henrietta Lacks visited The Johns Hopkins
3Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, one of only a few hospitals
4that would treat poor African Americans; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Henrietta Lacks began receiving treatment for
6cervical cancer; a sample of her cells was taken and sent to
7researcher Dr. George Gey, who had been collecting cells from
8all patients who sought treatment at Johns Hopkins for cervical
9cancer; at that time, there were no protocols for informing
10patients or for getting consent for research of their cell or
11tissue specimens; and
 
12    WHEREAS, While all the other samples quickly died, the
13cells from Henrietta Lacks doubled every 20 to 24 hours; her
14cells, known as "HeLa" cells, are still being used today to
15study the effects of toxins, drugs, hormones, and viruses on
16the growth of cancer cells without the need to experiment on
17humans; her cells have also been used in the development of
18treatments for polio, leukemia, AIDS, chemotherapy, in vitro
19fertilization, and in the study of the effects of zero gravity
20in space; and
 
21    WHEREAS, Henrietta Lacks passed away on October 4, 1951,
22but her "immortal cells" continue to impact the world; there

 

 

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1are 17,000 U.S. patents that involve HeLa cells; and
 
2    WHEREAS, Johns Hopkins University recently announced that
3it will name a new research building on campus in honor of
4Henrietta Lacks, an announcement that was made during the
5university's ninth annual Henrietta Lacks Memorial Lecture
6series; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The building is an enduring testament to a beloved
8mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother and generations of
9miraculous discoveries that have altered the landscape of
10modern medicine and benefited humanity; therefore, be it
 
11    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
12HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
13we recognize the profound effect that Henrietta Lacks and her
14"immortal cells" have had on millions of lives around the
15world, and we commend Johns Hopkins University on honoring her;
16and be it further
 
17    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
18presented to the family of Henrietta Lacks and John Hopkins
19University as a symbol of our respect and esteem.