Bill filed to posthumously award Henrietta Lacks the Congressional Gold Medal

A Maryland Congressman has filed a bill to posthumously award Henrietta Lacks, a woman whose cells have pioneered tools in science.

Bill filed to honor Henrietta Lacks

Congressman Kweisi Mfume filed the bill Tuesday to have Lacks honored with a Congressional Award Medal.

At 31 years old, Lacks was diagnosed with cervical cancer. She died shortly after in 1951 at John Hopkins Hospital. On the day she died, researchers held a news conference announcing to the world they had discovered the first human immortal cell line.

Medical research

Lacks’ cells, entitled “HeLa cells,” were a medical revelation, reproducing at a high rate and capable of dividing numerous times without dying.

Henrietta Lacks cells became a revolutionary medical tool, used to develop the polio vaccine and advance treatments for cancer, HIV/AIDS, Parkinson’s disease, leukemia, hemophilia and even the COVID vaccine. In addition to contributing to breakthroughs in cloning, in vitro fertilization, gene mapping, and many more functionalities.

Despite the revolutionary change her cells made, it was without Lacks or her family’s knowledge.