Medical Ethics
From the very beginning of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, it is made very clear that though it might have been common practice at the time, there was an injustice when doctors at Johns Hopkins hospital took samples of Henrietta's tumor cells and used them for research without her or her family's consent. Skloot discusses the advancements and struggles of the history of medical ethics in the later part of the 20th century from the Hippocratic Oath to the passage of federal law protecting human research and patient confidentiality.
Betrayal
Especially when taken from the point of view of Henrietta's youngest daughter Deborah, the story of HeLa is one of betrayal. Deobrah rightfully feels that her mother's cells were stolen from the family. Throughout the book, we sense her frustration that Henrietta and the Lacks family is not given credit and acknowledged for all that she has done for science.
Discovery
The author takes the reader on a journey to discover who Henrietta Lacks was. While she does her own research, she forms a bond with Deborah who also wants to learn more about who her mother was as a person and how did she die?