IV 
114TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 926 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the President 
should award the Presidential Medal of Freedom, posthumously, to Mrs. 
Henrietta Lacks, in recognition of her invaluable contribution to modern 
science in the form of her own immortal cells—HeLa cells—without 
which life-saving medicines and procedures would not have been developed 
at critical moments in our Nation’s history. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
NOVEMBER 16, 2016 
Ms. KELLY of Illinois submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the President should award the Presidential Medal of 
Freedom, posthumously, to Mrs. Henrietta Lacks, in rec-
ognition of her invaluable contribution to modern science 
in the form of her own immortal cells—HeLa cells— 
without which life-saving medicines and procedures would 
not have been developed at critical moments in our Na-
tion’s history. 
Whereas, in 1951, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks, a tobacco farmer 
and mother to Lawrence, Elsie, David, Deborah, and 
Zakariyya, was the unwitting donor of cells from her can-
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:52 Nov 16, 2016
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00001
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR926.IH
HR926
lotter on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 926 IH 
cerous tumor that were biopsied during treatment for her 
cervical cancer; 
Whereas at the time of her treatment in a racially segregated 
hospital, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks was subjected to a form 
of routine cancer care now deemed terribly harmful; 
Whereas Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’s cells, which were taken with-
out permission and code-named HeLa, have proven to be 
medical marvels and the first immortal human cell line; 
Whereas HeLa cells have— 
(1) enabled the development of the polio vaccine and 
antitumor medications; 
(2) allowed for greater understanding of the under-
lying causes of certain cancers, HIV, the Human 
Papillomavirus (HPV), gene mapping, in vitro fertiliza-
tion; and 
(3) been a part of missions to outer space, where as-
trophysicists have tested the effects of nongravity envi-
ronments on human cells; 
Whereas, in 1996, Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, 
Georgia, recognized Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’s family for 
her posthumous contributions to medicine and health re-
search; 
Whereas her immortal cells will continue to help mankind for-
ever; 
Whereas the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civil-
ian honor of the Nation, was established in 1945 to ap-
propriately recognize Americans who have made an espe-
cially meritorious contribution to the security or national 
interests of the United States, world peace, or cultural or 
other significant public or private endeavors; and 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:52 Nov 16, 2016
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00002
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6300
E:\BILLS\HR926.IH
HR926
lotter on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 926 IH 
Whereas Mrs. Henrietta Lacks succumbed to cancer at the 
age of 31 in relative obscurity, was buried in an un-
marked grave, and finally received a headstone in May 
2010: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep-
resentatives that— 
(1) the President should award the Presidential 
Medal of Freedom posthumously to Mrs. Henrietta 
Lacks in recognition of her invaluable contribution 
to modern science in the form of her own immortal 
cells; 
(2) in addition to the vital medical advances 
born from HeLa cells, the case of Mrs. Henrietta 
Lacks has spurred the medical and scientific com-
munities to consider and publicly recognize its role 
in perpetuating racially and socioeconomically pat-
terned bias in the form of unethical, ill-treatment of 
medically underserved or exploited families and pop-
ulations; 
(3) Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’s cells enabled the es-
tablishment of greater health care protections for 
patients and are undeniably the fulcrum for greater 
ethical sensitivities within the American bio-medical 
framework, guiding present-day standards; 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:52 Nov 16, 2016
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00003
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6201
E:\BILLS\HR926.IH
HR926
lotter on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS
•HRES 926 IH 
(4) Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’s immeasurable con-
tribution to modern-day science has generated a 
veritable medical revolution; and 
(5) like her cells, Mrs. Henrietta Lacks’s legacy 
lives on and deserves the highest civilian recognition 
in the form of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 
Æ 
VerDate Sep 11 2014 
23:52 Nov 16, 2016
Jkt 069200
PO 00000
Frm 00004
Fmt 6652
Sfmt 6301
E:\BILLS\HR926.IH
HR926
lotter on DSK3GDR082PROD with BILLS