Final answer:
The HeLa cell lines were given a code name by Dr. George Gey primarily to protect Henrietta Lacks's patient confidentiality, while allowing for the cells’ identification in scientific research. This practice has raised significant bioethical issues due to the lack of consent from Lacks and her family and their absence of compensation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dr. George Gey, the scientist who created the HeLa cell lines, gave the cells a code name to protect patient confidentiality. He named the cells after Henrietta Lacks, the woman from whom the cells were taken, by using the first two letters of her first and last names. At the time, using a patient's real name was not a common practice, and the code was a way to maintain some degree of anonymity while enabling the unique identification of the cell line in scientific research. It's important to note that while the code name did serve to somewhat anonymize Henrietta Lacks' identity initially, the widespread fame of HeLa cells later led to her identification. This, along with the fact that the Lacks family did not give consent to nor profited from the cell line, raises important bioethical considerations regarding patient rights and consent in medical research.