H.R. 3498 awards a Congressional Gold Medal posthumously to Henrietta Lacks, whose cells were taken without her consent in 1951 and became the foundation for countless medical breakthroughs. Henrietta Lacks died of cervical cancer at age 31, but her cells—known as HeLa cells—proved to be the first immortal human cell line and have since been used in research leading to vaccines and treatments for diseases like polio, cancer, HIV/AIDS, and Parkinson's disease, as well as Nobel Prize-winning discoveries. The bill recognizes both her unintended contribution to global health and her legacy in establishing modern medical ethics and informed consent protections. The Secretary of the Treasury will design and strike the gold medal, which will ultimately be housed at the Smithsonian Institution with the possibility of being displayed at other locations associated with Henrietta Lacks. The costs will be covered through the U.S. Mint Public Enterprise Fund, with revenue from selling duplicate bronze medals offsetting those expenses.