The use of HeLa cells has drawn some criticism. This is because Henrietta Lacks did not know that a piece of her tumor had been taken. When Lacks was identified nearly twenty years later, it raised a lot of questions about the issue of medical consent. Consent is when someone gives permission for something to happen. By law, there are several rules put in place to protect people involved in scientific research from harm. These rules also apply to research samples, which are allowed to be used as long as the quality of care is maintained and the patient identity is protected. One paper notes that if Henrietta Lacks were alive today, doctors would not need to ask for her consent.