Bill > HB558

This bill proposes to enact a new section in the Ohio Revised Code that officially designates October 4th as "Henrietta Lacks Day." Henrietta Lacks was a significant figure in medical history whose cancer cells, known as HeLa cells, were taken without her consent during a biopsy in 1951 and became a groundbreaking resource for medical research. Her cells were the first human cells to successfully grow in a laboratory and have been used in countless scientific studies, including the development of the polio vaccine, cancer research, and most recently, COVID-19 vaccine research. By establishing this commemorative day, the Ohio General Assembly seeks to honor Lacks' unintended but profound contribution to medical science and raise awareness about her legacy, while also highlighting historical issues of medical ethics, consent, and racial disparities in healthcare.

Government Affairs

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb558