The family of Henrietta Lacks has reached a settlement with a biotechnology company they have accused of profiting from cells harvested without her knowledge or consent in 1951. The federal lawsuit claimed Thermo Fisher Scientific has made billions from tissue taken from the Black woman’s cervical cancer tumor by doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Her cells, later named HeLa cells, were the first to reproduce in a laboratory, and went on to become the cornerstone of modern medicine.
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00:00 your uncle and your aunt.
00:02 I wish they could be here.
00:06 Happy birthday to ya,
00:19 happy birthday to ya,
00:22 happy birthday,
00:24 happy birthday to ya,
00:27 happy birthday to ya,
00:30 happy birthday.
00:33 I can think of no better present
00:36 on what would have been Henrietta Lacks'
00:39 103rd birthday
00:42 than to give her family
00:46 some measure of respect
00:49 for Henrietta Lacks,
00:51 some measure of dignity
00:53 for Henrietta Lacks.
00:55 And most of all,
00:57 some measure of justice
01:00 for Henrietta Lacks
01:02 70 years later.
01:04 And so we are celebrating
01:07 the life and the legacy
01:09 and the contributions
01:11 of Henrietta Lacks
01:13 on her 103rd birthday.
01:16 This settlement is
01:19 a great announcement,
01:20 but it's a bigger announcement
01:23 that we continue to celebrate
01:26 Henrietta Lacks.
01:27 Henrietta Lacks!
01:28 Say her name!
01:29 Henrietta Lacks!
01:31 Members of the family of Henrietta Lacks
01:35 and Thermo Fisher
01:37 have agreed to settle
01:39 the litigation
01:41 filed by Henrietta Lacks Estate
01:45 in the United States District Court
01:48 of Baltimore, Maryland.
01:51 The terms of the agreement
01:54 will be confidential.
01:56 The parties are pleased
01:59 that they were able to find a way
02:02 to resolve this matter
02:04 outside of the court
02:06 and will have no further comment
02:09 about the settlement.
02:11 We are proud of what she's contributed
02:15 to the world.
02:16 And we've been all over the place
02:18 talking with universities
02:21 and sciences and doctors
02:23 and learning so much
02:24 about the HeLa cell
02:26 and what it's contributed to.
02:28 It's amazing to find out
02:29 that your grandmother's cells
02:31 are used in makeup
02:33 and used for dog food.
02:35 I mean, any and everybody
02:37 in this space
02:39 have someone,
02:41 or maybe you,
02:42 have used or bought
02:45 or benefited from the HeLa cell.
02:47 For Henrietta Lacks.
02:49 and I'm ready.
02:51 [BLANK_AUDIO]