The Immortality of Ethics in Science and Medicine Rebecca Skloot’s “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” raises a number of ethical questions through the story of a woman whose immortal cells have made and continue to make an incredible difference in the world of science and medicine. A doctor’s duty is to treat and care for patients, regardless of their race, ethnicity, and income level. In the mid-1900’s, however, few medical professionals practiced medicine in this manner. Low-income, black patients who could not afford a high standard of care were forced to seek care in facilities which often viewed them as research subjects. Henrietta Lacks sought medical care in the Johns Hopkins University Hospital where she began painfully deteriorating