Controversy of Bodies Exhibition in New York City

While in New York last week, my sister and I went to the Bodies Exhibition.

I agree with the New York Times quote here:

"This is not a freak show,'' Dr. Glover said, standing beside the musculature of a man who is holding hands with his own removed skeleton. ''People go away fascinated by what they've seen, and they're better educated about their bodies."

It's a fascinating exhibit. But it is important to know the backstory of the controversy - the Chinese bodies displayed here may very well be executed political prisoners.

But Harry Wu, the executive director of the LaoGai Research Foundation, an organization that documents abuses in China's penal system, said officials from Dalian University had been previously implicated in the use of executed prisoners for commercial purposes, having supplied bodies to Gunter von Hagens, the German entrepreneur who started the first traveling show of the dead, ''World of Bodies.'' Dr. Sui Hongjin, who was previously Mr. Von Hagen's Chinese partner until a falling out three years ago, is now working with Premier Exhibitions, which has its headquarters in Atlanta. ''Considering that China executes between 2,000 and 3,000 prisoners a year and their long history of freely using death row prisoners for medical purposes, you have to wonder,'' Mr. Wu said, adding that he would pursue legal steps in this country to ensure that the show was not using illegally obtained bodies. ''In China, a piece of paper means nothing.''

For example, you can read about China's torture of the Falun Gong here.

Technorati Tags: china, falun gong, bodies exhibition

Comments

[Demet]

I agree with this article completely...I mean, you can't just take the bodies of unclaimed prisoners and just put them on display. Sure, it is fasinating, but come on! Think about it. Would you want YOUR body on display and plus, is it even known to the public that this MIGHT not be what our bodies look like on the inside? You are learing about some one else's body. NOT YOUR OWN.

[Tammy]

I do not think that anyones body should be used and sold without their consent. We are encouraging the mass production of this by PAYING to view these bodies. I feel that if this is something we approve of in this country we are saying that any person who is not identified should be available for purchase and used for any purpose by the authority in their country.

[Melissa]

I am a nursing student and I learned so much more from this exhibit than what I could have learned from 100 textbooks. Our Anatomy teacher was explaining everything to us along the way and seeing the parts up close and personal has clarified alot if information for me. Alot of people seem to be focusing on the origins of the bodies but if I were the deceased I would be honored to be a learning tool for future generations of medical staff as well as perhaps being the reason for people making a decision to lead a healthier life. The smoker's lung is a real eye opener as well as the stroke victim's brain and the obese person. From little kids all the way up to senior citizens have something to benefit from this exhibit.

[Cathy]

I was just at the NYC exhibit and I agree it is a wonderrul think.....if people are opposed to the way the bodies were obtained, let me just say the founders of this would have no problem in getting OTHERS to donate their bodies for this purpose. I would gladly do so myself to help others understand what a complete marvel our bodies are, and to help educate others as to why they need to eat properly and excerise! Worth every penny I paid to see this wonder or wonders.....we spend so little time thinking about how our bodies work until we are stricken with something devastating or deadly......weird being it is the ONLY thing we have with us from birth to death!