Bill > SB111

This bill proposes to add a new section to Ohio's Revised Code that officially designates October 4th as "Henrietta Lacks Day". Henrietta Lacks was an African American woman whose cancer cells, taken without her knowledge during a medical procedure in 1951, became one of the most important cell lines in medical research. Known as HeLa cells, these cells were the first human cells successfully cultured in a laboratory and have been used in countless medical breakthroughs, including research on cancer, AIDS, radiation, gene mapping, and the development of vaccines like the polio vaccine. By creating this official day of recognition, the bill aims to honor Lacks' significant and involuntary contribution to medical science and raise awareness about her important legacy, while also acknowledging the ethical issues surrounding medical consent and research practices during that era.

Government Affairs

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/sb111