The Grade 10 students took part in a debate as part of library and literacy week.  They debated the following question: “Should scientists be allowed to use a person’s tissues or cells for research without that person’s consent?” Students had studied this issue through the life story of Henrietta Lacks and her HeLa cells.

The debate was lively and animated with every Grade 10 student having the chance to speak.  Between each group speaking there was an opportunity to ask questions from the panel (Grade 10) as well as the audience (Grade 9).  This resulted in some excellent questions being asked which at times challenged the speakers.

Questions led to discussions about another area that the students had been asked to research: Whether society is indebted to Henrietta Lacks for her HeLa cells. The discussion that followed also raised further questions about science, ethics, and racism within healthcare as another of the key questions was whether we are we all created equal?

Grade 10 will now use the information gathered through their research and this discussion and put themselves in the role of a policy writer in the World Health Organisation. They will develop, write, and refine a policy document on inequalities in healthcare around the world.

SAB & FL