Despite all the progress and modernity of the contemporary world brought by capitalist institutions, there is no doubt that this progress has come at the price of dehumanization , inequity, exploitation and oppression. The story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells is full of these elements, from the unethical extraction of her cells to the rich industry built around their production and by-products. The resurgence of Marxism in the social sciences provides critical insight into the functioning of these institutions within society. Individuals who profited from sales, derivative products, and research escaped the reciprocity of those who provided the means to do so. Before the successful cultivation of HeLa cells, all attempts to grow cells in culture failed. This obstacle became the focused work of Dr. George Gey of Johns Hopkins University. Johns Hopkins served most of the poor black community seeking care in the immediate Maryland area. This constituted a gold mine for medical research, justified by its “generosity” and its Samaritan charter. Henrietta Lack's decision to seek treatment for her cervical cancer unknowingly marked her as the greatest contributor to science and medicine. After realizing that the human cells had finally been harvested and successfully reproduced, Dr. Gey immediately distributed the cells and his methodology to anyone who asked. As the explosion of HeLa cell research swept the scientific community, many of Dr. Gey's colleagues urged him to publish or patent cells to take credit for his work, but his dedication to the work rather that credit prevented him from publishing much if any at all. Involvement...... middle of paper...... through society and by implementing this awareness as a vehicle for change, we are forced to repeat these same injustices. Henrietta's cells have given society the ability to cure disease, fight cancer, vaccinate children, and, by leaps and bounds, advance our knowledge of biology as a whole. At what cost does this progress come about and who reaps the benefits? Henrietta's children do not have access to the advancements that their mother's body is responsible for, nor do countless other individuals on this planet. Where is the line drawn? The extraction of HeLa cells without Henrietta's consent did not mark the end of exploitation, otherwise the cells would have remained common property within the scientific community. The story of Henrietta and her cells is just one small act in a larger play that showcases the exploitative nature of capitalism and the desperate society it perpetuates indefinitely..