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Honoring Henrietta Lacks: Congressional Gold Medal for Medical Contributions

This act posthumously awards a Congressional Gold Medal to Henrietta Lacks, whose cells (HeLa) were crucial for medical advancements and scientific research. It is a symbolic recognition of her unwitting contribution to global health and patient rights, emphasizing the importance of ethics in medical research.
Key points
Honoring Henrietta Lacks: Awarding a Congressional Gold Medal for her invaluable contribution to science and medicine.
Significance of HeLa Cells: Highlighting the role of Henrietta Lacks' cells in developing vaccines, drugs, and understanding diseases.
Impact on Patient Rights: Recognizing that Henrietta Lacks' story contributed to modern bioethics policies and informed consent laws.
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Status:
Expired
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Additional Information
Print number: 117_S_4031
Sponsor: Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD]
Process start date: 2022-04-07
System Note: Lustra is free, publicly auditable civic infrastructure, with full source code available on GitHub. You are reading sterilized legislative data, processed by our radical neutrality engine to strip political spin and retain factual mechanics. We process only official government data. Original documents remain the authoritative source, always verify them if you can.
Summarized by: gemini-2.5-flash-preview-05-20
Source data: api.congress.gov
AI work logs for this document launch

OFFICIAL LEGAL TITLE

Henrietta Lacks Congressional Gold Medal Act

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the official ID of this bill?

The official print number for this legislation is 117_S_4031.

Which chamber initiated this legislation?

This legislation was initiated in the Senate.

When did the legislative process begin?

The process officially started on 2022-04-07.

What are the main provisions?

Key points include:

  • Honoring Henrietta Lacks: Awarding a Congressional Gold Medal for her invaluable contribution to science and medicine.
  • Significance of HeLa Cells: Highlighting the role of Henrietta Lacks' cells in developing vaccines, drugs, and understanding diseases.
  • Impact on Patient Rights: Recognizing that Henrietta Lacks' story contributed to modern bioethics policies and informed consent laws.
What is the specific legal status?

The current status is Expired.

Where can I read the full text of this legislation?

The full official text is available at: View full text

Who is the primary sponsor?

The primary sponsor is Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD].

What is the latest detailed status?

The latest detailed status is: Introduced in Senate

Is this summary verified?

Yes. This content was analyzed by AI and verified by the Lustra Judge System on 2025-12-29.

What is the impact of this bill?

We don't know, that is up to you to decide. Summarizing raw data with AI is fundamentally different from predicting socio-economic outcomes. As of 2026, we believe impact assessment strictly requires a human in the loop to verify and judge.

CATEGORIES

Health Media and Culture