Summary
The article discusses the legal trade in human body parts in the United States, highlighting concerns about exploitation and mishandling by private companies known as body brokers. These companies obtain bodies, dissect them, and sell the parts for profit, often to medical research centers and universities.
Key Facts
- Body brokers are companies that obtain, dissect, and sell human body parts for profit.
- This trade is legal in the United States but has raised concerns about exploitation and respect for donated bodies.
- Harold Dillard's body was dismembered after being donated, leading to legal and ethical concerns.
- Critics compare the industry to grave-robbing, while supporters say it fills a need in medical research.
- The University of California has a non-profit body donation program with strict handling guidelines.
- Financial issues, such as the cost of funerals, can motivate people to donate bodies.
- For-profit companies, called non-transplant tissue banks, often act as middlemen in this trade.
