Attending an exhibit featuring dead bodies

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There is an exhibit open to the general public in a nearby city called “Bodies” that exhibits dead bodies. This “Bodies” exhibit has been touring around the country. It shows the bodies in various positions, like standing up holding a tennis racket. The main benefit that seems to be promoted from seeing this exhibit is improved knowledge of anatomy.

A class from a Catholic high school in our town is considering attending this exhibit.

What is the Catholic teaching on this issue?
 
fastcar said:
There is an exhibit open to the general public in a nearby city called “Bodies” that exhibits dead bodies. This “Bodies” exhibit has been touring around the country. It shows the bodies in various positions, like standing up holding a tennis racket. The main benefit that seems to be promoted from seeing this exhibit is improved knowledge of anatomy.

A class from a Catholic high school in our town is considering attending this exhibit.

What is the Catholic teaching on this issue?
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I saw this exhibit when it was in town myself. I believe the standard disclamer there was that parts were gathered from people who died of natural causes and donated their bodies to science.
 
I recently read where a couple of bishops told their Catholic schools not to schedule field trips to the Bodies exhibit.

Archbishop Pilarczyk (Cincinnati) said “The Church has consistently maintained that dead bodies need to be treated in a way that recognizes the dignity of the human person. Within this framework, the use of bodies for scientific research and educational purposes has long been viewed as permissible provided that the consent of the deceased or the deceased’s family has been obtained. The public exhibition of plasticized bodies, unclaimed, unreverenced, and unidentified, is a different matter entirely. It is unseemly and inappropriate.” Link]

Bishop Foys (Covington) had similar concerns. Link]

I had a chance to view the exhibit some time ago and passed. Even if someone donates their body to science they’re treated with dignity. I don’t think this qualifies.
 
I believe there are two similar exhibits. One (Bodyworlds) has bodies that were donated. The other one is the one where concerns have been raised about some of the bodies being Chinese prisoners. I’m not sure on this though.

I am not Catholic. I did see the Bodyworlds exhibit and found it fascinating. As long as the bodies were willingly donated, I don’t see a problem with it. I think it’s similar to people donating their bodies to science and their organs to other people.
 
See this story here: abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4291334&page=1

I have no intention of ever attending an exhibit like this. The human body, created by God, deserves more respectful treatment than this.

I don’t need the Church to tell me this is wrong - I think it’s quite obvious.

~Liza
 
I agree, I think this is an extreme disrespect to the dignity of human life. isn’t there one that has a mother with a baby also?

We already know enough about the body where we don’t need to use actual live people. Can just people live and let live? I agree that us humans have a morbid curiousity(I admit, I do too, Ive looked at things at the expense of others and I feel guilty).

I am curious, is to look at “death” considered a sin(war crimes, accidents, suicides, etc)? when people are curious?
 
The archdoicese of MIlwaukee formed a committe about this, and wrote a paper:

"The Emmaus Project staff of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s John Paul II Center has issued a reflection paper on the Milwaukee Public Museum’s Body World exhibit "

archmil.org/aboutus/ShowResource.asp?ID=2310
 
I went to see this in Philadelphia at the Franklin Institute with some “secular” friends. They thought it was awesome, I thought it was repulsive. They also have terminated/dead babies in various stages of development in jars.

Stay away.
 
I don’t really see how it is disrespectful. The exhibit is not making fun of the dead people in any way. In fact, I see it as glorifying God’s amazing creation. People who’ve visited this exhibit say it’s incredible and very interesting to see the different parts of the body and understand how each of them perform a different function. I don’t think the exhibit is saying “look at all these dead people!” I think it’s trying to say “look, this is how we humans look underneath our skin and this is how our bodies work.”

As for dead babies, maybe someone who is pro abortion will see the babies in different stages of pregnancy and start to understand that even in the earliest stages of life, fetuses are people just like themselves.
 
Kitteh said:
I don’t really see how it is disrespectful. The exhibit is not making fun of the dead people in any way. In fact, I see it as glorifying God’s amazing creation. People who’ve visited this exhibit say it’s incredible and very interesting to see the different parts of the body and understand how each of them perform a different function. I don’t think the exhibit is saying “look at all these dead people!” I think it’s trying to say “look, this is how we humans look underneath our skin and this is how our bodies work.”

As for dead babies, maybe someone who is pro abortion will see the babies in different stages of pregnancy and start to understand that even in the earliest stages of life, fetuses are people just like themselves.
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The exhibit definitely had this effect on me. The exhibit was amazing, and seeing it was a “Wow, God’s creation is amazing” thing. The dead babies were heartbreaking. You could definitely see that they were BABIES no matter how small.
 
Anyone who finds this fascinating would be better served to purchase Gray’s Anatomy. (No, not the television show. ;))

In my opinion, there is much to be learned from a good textbook. The body is amazing and of beautiful creation. Why do we have to gawk at an anonymous corpse to learn? Besides, if you can’t trust crayons and dog food coming from China, what would make anyone think we can trust them that the bodies came to them by a means of donation and respect? They continue to kidnap women and force abortions upon them in order to keep their ‘one child’ rule. I myself would not be caught dead at the exhibit :rolleyes: and I don’t need the Church to tell me it is wrong; I know that all by myself. 😉

Peace
 
I don’t know what the official Church position would be on this… but my own gut reaction is one of total horror and disgust. Especially, when you say that they pose the bodies… such as with the tennis racket.

This is utter disrespect for the dignity of the human person… and I DOUBT that the good people who donated their bodies… (probably with the hope of advancing medical science) would have approved of their mortal remains being traipsed around and displayed in a traveling “freak” show. 😦

Just when I thought I’d heard everything. This really gave me the willies.
 
At the end of the exhibit, they have information about how one can arrange to donate their body if they so choose. Those people know exactly what they’re getting into.

From the Bodyworlds website:
All anatomical specimens on display in the BODY WORLDS exhibitions are authentic. They belonged to people who declared during their lifetime that their bodies should be made available after their deaths for the qualification of physicians and the instruction of laypersons.
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There is another exhibition which is similar that has been accused of having the bodies of Chinese prisoners, but this one is not it.
 
I saw the bodyworks exhibit at the museum of science in boston a year or two ago. I was a nursing student and attended as part of my curriculum. That exhibit did state that the bodies were donated for the purpose (informed consent). The exhibit was fascinating and did not appear disrespectful or horrific in the least, it seemed (like skeletons in a biology lab) an informational and scientific presentation. Yes, the bodies were posed, but it was to display the grace, beauty and function. At this time I did not consider the ramifications of moral theology.
News on these exhibits are now all over the web:

**Lawmakers Call for Congress to Probe Bodies Shows in Wake of ‘20/20’ Report
N.J. Congressman Calls on U.S. Attorney General to Open an Investigation
**
abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4316254&page=1
 
HannahLisa said:
At the end of the exhibit, they have information about how one can arrange to donate their body if they so choose. Those people know exactly what they’re getting into.

From the Bodyworlds website:

There is another exhibition which is similar that has been accused of having the bodies of Chinese prisoners, but this one is not it.
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The OP distinctly mentioned Bodies. If the Chinese cannot be trusted to make a safe toy or dog food without potential harm or death, I just don’t trust that they obtained the bodies from people who provided consent, not to mention the fetuses they display. The bodies were unclaimed so they were used obviously without the decedents’ knowledge.
 
kell0618 said:
The OP distinctly mentioned Bodies. If the Chinese cannot be trusted to make a safe toy or dog food without potential harm or death, I just don’t trust that they obtained the bodies from people who provided consent, not to mention the fetuses they display. The bodies were unclaimed so they were used obviously without the decedents’ knowledge.
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If there is reasonable doubt on where the bodies came from, I would probably not go to see it. There are similar exhibits, though, and some of the issues brought up are applicable to all of them. If this is the only objection to seeing such an exhibit, it is not valid for all such exhibits. I just wanted to point that out 🙂
 
I went to one today in Albuquerque. It was neat… and I did notice they were all Asian.

Pretty cool to see all of the muscles and organs.
 
HannahLisa said:
The exhibit definitely had this effect on me. The exhibit was amazing, and seeing it was a “Wow, God’s creation is amazing” thing. The dead babies were heartbreaking. You could definitely see that they were BABIES no matter how small.
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So, not only do the dead and unborn babies not give their consent to be aborted, but they are then put on display without their permission as well. 🤷 😦
 
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