Donating Your Body to Science

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Ok, so I found an article explaining the details (not exactly my thing), but it’s some curious stuff. After your body is used for medical reasons, it is cremated and returned to loved ones for free. It is my understanding that a Church will respect a Catholics ashes in a Church service and blessings will occur. The rates of donations were up in 2016, so it’s not a “gotta do this!”

Maybe there is a gap between people who donate specifying “oh btw, I’m Catholic, so after you chop me up to teach doctors what to do, I want the Church service, don’t let this paperwork get lost!!” You know, the usual madness. Is it what everyone should feel obligated to do? I mean, can a priest tell a grieving person who’s bugging out about funeral costs before their spouse who is terminally ill say, “you can cut lots of the fees by having them donate their body to science first and then we can do a service here!” It’s real practical and if a priest would, why wouldn’t we? At the same time, not sure if that’s in the cards. Anyway, here’s some info from the article:

Article: Body donations on the rise at US medical schools
 
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This is routinely done.
Our Sacristan has made these arrangements with a large hospital, her funeral home director knows all about it and is prepared, and the Pastor of the church will have a nice funeral Mass when the time comes.

It’s nothing new.
 
Oh, I’m sure they will do great (as always), I just don’t know how it would be for me saying it in a social situation. Saving a family a few thousand dollars sounds pretty legit, some older people loved their schools in the days of few people having college degrees. I’m sure it basically gave them a future. You never really know…
 
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that’s because saving money is NOT the motivation. One can have a simple cremation if you want to save $$$.

She has Diabetes. She would like to be able to contribute to the research.
Her friends applaud her for the decision. Her daughter is a physician. It’s on the up and up.
 
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That is an amazing story! I didn’t realize we were discussing someone specific until I looked back. A diabetes cure would be absolutely wonderful. My friends and I used to joke about those old commercials, but we take it seriously. Sometimes we try to find humor in things we cannot help. And well, I guess there’s always donating your body to science too. Do they track progress? Like, if you do it, will they say “you will likely take us from here to there” or no?
 
no.
It’s a teaching hospital. Most places try very hard not to place a body with a name or a face.
These are clinical things. The bereaved privacy is utmost.
 
CCC 2296

“Organ transplants are in conformity with the moral law if the physical and psychological dangers and risks to the donor are proportionate to the good sought for the recipient. Organ donation after death is a noble and meritorious act and is to be encouraged as a expression of generous solidarity. It is not morally acceptable if the donor or his proxy has not given explicit consent. Moreover, it is not morally admissible to bring about the disabling mutilation or death of a human being, even in order to delay the death of other persons.”

Donating to science would fall under the same category. I would say the best thing to do would be have a funeral Mass said first, then give your body to science, and when they are done bury the leftover remains using the Rite of Burial.

I’m personally an organ donor. It’s like one final act of charity and good will.
 
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Spyridon said:
CCC 2296
I would say the best thing to do would be have a funeral Mass said first, then give your body to science, and when they are done bury the leftover remains using the Rite of Burial.
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It doesn’t logistically work this way.
 
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Medical Science isn’t ready for me. My biology will likely lead to us all becoming super human.
 
My former neighbor has it written in her Will that her body be donated to science at Vanderbilt. I have no idea why she wants to do it. But she thought it would be “cool.”:roll_eyes:
 
That sounds like something I would tell someone with whom I did not want to discuss my reasons.
 
My daughter is a medical student and has spent time in the cadaver lab. Without people donating their bodies to science it would be difficult to train doctors and also advance research. I find it perfectly acceptable and do not believe all people do it to save a few bucks.
 
Spyridon said:
Donating to science would fall under the same category. I would say the best thing to do would be have a funeral Mass said first, then give your body to science, and when they are done bury the leftover remains using the Rite of Burial.
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No, it can’t work that way. The medical schools need the body quickly after death to prepare it to be used in whatever way it will be used.

I know that the university where my friend’s father donated his body either returned the cremated remains to the family or buried them in a section of a local cemetery reserved for that purpose.

 
Interesting link, are there Catholic Universities people could choose from?
 
I agree except she didn’t really have a valid reason for doing it (ie: no illness that a cure could be found for). She just thought it would be “kewl” to do. She is easily influenced by the popular thing of the moment. And at the time she decided to donate her body to science, she was hanging out with people who were into that kind of thing.
 
So one must have a disease in need of a cure in order to validly donate one’s body to science? It can’t be any other reason? I think donating is a cool thing to do, in the sense that it is something that will help others.
 
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It could just be for the purpose of letting someone cut your head open to get experience for performing brain surgery. I’m pretty sure we are all equipped with those!
 
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You don’t get it, Reed. She’s not doing it to help others. She’s doing it because she thinks it’s “kewl,” because it’s the “in” thing to do.
 
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