--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Since the Common Rule says that research…" description: "\"“Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png" --- # Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be… ![“Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, the Lacks family might be able to withdraw HeLa cells from all research worldwide. And in fact, there are precedents for such a case, including one…” quote by Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png) > ““Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, the Lacks family might be able to withdraw HeLa cells from all research worldwide. And in fact, there are precedents for such a case, including one in which a woman successfully had her father’s DNA removed from a database in Iceland. Every researcher I’ve mentioned that idea to shudders at the thought of it.”” [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights the theoretical right of individuals to control the use of their biological material in research, raising complex ethical and legal questions. **In simple terms:** People might claim control over their cells used in science. Key Takeaway Consider the balance between personal rights and scientific progress. Themes ethics privacy biomedical research rights law Mood thoughtful concerned Type ethical philosophical When to use this quote - clinical trials - biobanking - family decisions - legal challenges Key Concepts informed consent ownership genomic data public policy Questions to Reflect On - Should individuals have absolute control over their biological contributions? - How do we protect both privacy and scientific advancement? A Different Perspective Legal frameworks may not yet fully support such withdrawals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hela/) [Henrietta-lacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/henrietta-lacks/) [Medical research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-research/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Property rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/property-rights/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) ## Related quotes > [“HeLa cells were one of the most important things that happened to medicine in the last hundred years,” Defler said. Then, matter-of-factly, almost as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/hela-cells-were-one-of-the-most-important-things-that-happened-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [I learned about HeLa cells in my first basic biology class, and I just became completely obsessed with them from that point on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/i-learned-about-hela-cells-in-my-first-basic-biology-class-and-i-just/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-american-type-culture-collection-a-nonprofit-whose-funds-go/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Ultimately the judge threw Moore’s suit out of court, saying he had no case. Ironically, in his decision, the judge cited the HeLa cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/ultimately-the-judge-threw-moore-s-suit-out-of-court-saying-he-had-no/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“I’ve tried to imagine how she’d feel knowing that her cells went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/i-ve-tried-to-imagine-how-she-d-feel-knowing-that-her-cells-went-up/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Everyone in the audience knew what that meant. On top of saying they’d possibly wasted more than a decade and millions of research dollars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/everyone-in-the-audience-knew-what-that-meant-on-top-of-saying-they-d/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Henrietta’s were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal human cells ever grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/henrietta-s-were-different-they-reproduced-an-entire-generation-every/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Day wouldn’t have understood the concept of immortal cells or HLA markers coming from anyone, accent or not—he’d only gone to school for four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/day-wouldn-t-have-understood-the-concept-of-immortal-cells-or-hla/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## More by Rebecca Skloot > [Only cells that had been transformed by a virus or a genetic mutation had the potential to become immortal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/only-cells-that-had-been-transformed-by-a-virus-or-a-genetic-mutation/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [Good science is all about following the data as it shows up and letting yourself be proven wrong, and letting everything change while you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/good-science-is-all-about-following-the-data-as-it-shows-up-and/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-american-type-culture-collection-a-nonprofit-whose-funds-go/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Today an estimated 13 percent of birds are threatened, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. So are 25 percent of mammals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/today-an-estimated-13-percent-of-birds-are-threatened-according-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“an idea hit him, he sat wherever he was—at his desk, kitchen table, a bar, or behind the wheel of his car—gnawing on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/an-idea-hit-him-he-sat-wherever-he-was-at-his-desk-kitchen-table-a/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“When he asked if she was okay, her eyes welled with tears and she said, “Like I’m always telling my brothers, if you gonna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/when-he-asked-if-she-was-okay-her-eyes-welled-with-tears-and-she-said/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Some things you got to release. Gary said. The more you hold them in, the worse you get. When you release them, they got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/some-things-you-got-to-release-gary-said-the-more-you-hold-them-in/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [The sort of thinking at the time was, 'Well, we're giving you access to medical care which you wouldn't otherwise be able to get,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-sort-of-thinking-at-the-time-was-well-we-re-giving-you-access-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Nelson-Rees had since been hired by the National Cancer Institute to help stop the contamination problem. He would become known as a vigilante who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/nelson-rees-had-since-been-hired-by-the-national-cancer-institute-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“THE SKY ABOVE northeast India looked like mango skin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-sky-above-northeast-india-looked-like-mango-skin/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [Often doctors didn't even tell you what was wrong with you. They just treated you, and sent you home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/often-doctors-didn-t-even-tell-you-what-was-wrong-with-you-they-just/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“We must not see any person as an abstraction. Instead, we must see in every person a universe with its own secrets, with its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/we-must-not-see-any-person-as-an-abstraction-instead-we-must-see-in/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Ultimately the judge threw Moore’s suit out of court, saying he had no case. Ironically, in his decision, the judge cited the HeLa cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/ultimately-the-judge-threw-moore-s-suit-out-of-court-saying-he-had-no/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [The laws are still very unclear. Cells are still taken from people without consent - a lot of people don't realize it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-laws-are-still-very-unclear-cells-are-still-taken-from-people/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [But I tell you one thing, I don't want to be immortal if it mean living forever, cause then everybody else just die and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/but-i-tell-you-one-thing-i-don-t-want-to-be-immortal-if-it-mean/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) [Explore all 43 Rebecca Skloot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) ## More Hela quotes > [“The American Type Culture Collection—a nonprofit whose funds go mainly toward maintaining and providing pure cultures for science—has been selling HeLa since the sixties.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/the-american-type-culture-collection-a-nonprofit-whose-funds-go/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Nelson-Rees had since been hired by the National Cancer Institute to help stop the contamination problem. He would become known as a vigilante who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/nelson-rees-had-since-been-hired-by-the-national-cancer-institute-to/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Ultimately the judge threw Moore’s suit out of court, saying he had no case. Ironically, in his decision, the judge cited the HeLa cell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/ultimately-the-judge-threw-moore-s-suit-out-of-court-saying-he-had-no/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Shetani akikupa hela chukua. Hiyo hela ameiiba kutoka kwa Baba. Ukishaichukua, toa zaka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/shetani-akikupa-hela-chukua-hiyo-hela-ameiiba-kutoka-kwa-baba/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“I’ve tried to imagine how she’d feel knowing that her cells went up in the first space missions to see what would happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/i-ve-tried-to-imagine-how-she-d-feel-knowing-that-her-cells-went-up/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Soon after Harris’s HeLa-chicken study, a pair of researchers at New York University discovered that human-mouse hybrids lost their human chromosomes over time, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/soon-after-harris-s-hela-chicken-study-a-pair-of-researchers-at-new/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Everyone in the audience knew what that meant. On top of saying they’d possibly wasted more than a decade and millions of research dollars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/everyone-in-the-audience-knew-what-that-meant-on-top-of-saying-they-d/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Henrietta’s were different: they reproduced an entire generation every twenty-four hours, and they never stopped. They became the first immortal human cells ever grown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/henrietta-s-were-different-they-reproduced-an-entire-generation-every/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Day wouldn’t have understood the concept of immortal cells or HLA markers coming from anyone, accent or not—he’d only gone to school for four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/day-wouldn-t-have-understood-the-concept-of-immortal-cells-or-hla/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“Huwezi kuwa tajiri iwapo wewe ni limbukeni wa hela.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enock-maregesi/huwezi-kuwa-tajiri-iwapo-wewe-ni-limbukeni-wa-hela/) [Enock Maregesi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enock-maregesi/) > [“They also knew that there was a string of DNA at the end of each chromosome called a telomere, which shortened a tiny bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/they-also-knew-that-there-was-a-string-of-dna-at-the-end-of-each/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) [Browse all 12 Hela quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hela/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time, these experts have told me that, in theory, the Lacks family might be able to withdraw HeLa cells from all research worldwide. And in fact, there are precedents for such a case, including one in which a woman successfully had her father’s DNA removed from a database in Iceland. Every researcher I’ve mentioned that idea to shudders at the thought of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Rebecca Skloot" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/since-the-common-rule-says-that-research-subjects-must-be-allowed-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hela" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/since-the-common-rule-says-that-research-subjects-must-be-allowed-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d26/rebecca-skloot-15335_hela_since-the-common-rule-says-that-research_2618974.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Since the Common Rule says that research subjects must be allowed to withdraw from research at any time…” — Rebecca Skloot", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Rebecca Skloot", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Since the Common Rule says that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/since-the-common-rule-says-that-research-subjects-must-be-allowed-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/since-the-common-rule-says-that-research-subjects-must-be-allowed-to/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```