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It's very obvious the title has triggered you. Having known about this story for nearly 20 years now, it neither is about "respect" or "mockery" (why are these your options you choose?). It's simply about stating realities of the origins of cells that have enabled countless scientific discoveries.
Don't worry, those scientists get their recognition. No one is being overshadowed.
Actually, that analogy works well. If a physicist had observed Absolom falling off his bike, and then made some important new insight about the laws of motion and gravity, then Absolom's contribution to physics would be similar to that made by Henrietta to medicine.
When the apple fell off the tree and bopped Newton (or merely fell off as nobody knows for sure if it hit him) we gave credit to Newton...not the apple.
Though I now expect The Smithsonian to scrub Newton out of their exhibits and replace him with apples after mentioning this on the internet.
It's interesting for more reasons than just the scientific discoveries the HeLa cell lines have enabled.
The patient consent issues alone (and how her family was treated in the aftermath) are all worthy topics of debate that originated from her cells.
I suppose people feel highlighting her life belittles scientific work done in biological sciences. As someone at a well-known company (and having worked at highly-regarded R&D institutes), I don't feel that way at all. Don't worry - those people doing the science get the credit they deserve. If not through attention/glory, certainly in many other ways. I wouldn't call her "the mother of modern medicine" - but I also understand why that headline would be written. Nor does it offend me as a research scientist.
If "triggered" means amazed, amused, bewildered... then yes, I'm triggered.
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