A statement from the Diocese of Pittsburgh regarding Bodies … The Exhibition.
…With the assurances that the affidavits provide over the source of the bodies and fetuses, and the understanding that it is morally ethical that bodies unclaimed over a definitive period of time can be used for medical study and education, the Diocese of Pittsburgh concludes the following:
1. Bodies � The Exhibition� can provide worthwhile and effective opportunities to promote learning and to explore issues in the natural sciences, morality and spirituality;
2. �Bodies � The Exhibition� is certainly not appropriate for all audiences. Individuals in general and parents in particular must consider their own and their children�s sensitivities when determining whether or not to attend the exhibit;
3. The discussion generated in the public arena in anticipation of this exhibit is a valuable one that has raised serious questions about the dignity of the human person and how that dignity is expressed, protected and promoted. We applaud this public discourse on a matter so important to the fostering of a good society. We encourage continued dialogue on these important topics and welcome the opportunity to participate in them over the course of the exhibit�s stay in Pittsburgh.
The statement seems to me to be lacking in some of the moral issues concerning this display that go well beyond whether the bodies were obtained legally. Skinning bodies and posing them for entertainment value at the cost of admission is not exactly the same thing as the use of donated bodies for medical use.
Using the excuse that it can provide worthwhile discussions on morality and spirituality seems to be the same old excuse that is thrown out whenever they can’t justify it morally. The same excuse used by some to defend the Da Vinci Code movie and other events. Besides if worthwhile moral discussion were important then why aren’t any made in this letter besides the issue of where they got the bodies?
I would think at least that the dignity of the body would be discussed especially in the context of what has become a billion dollar plus exhibit. Or whether these so-called unclaimed bodies from the unreliable Chinese government really are treated with the respect and charity as specified in the Catechism. Archbishop Burke in St. Louis cancelled Catholic school field trips to the exhibit, but left it up to the parents as to whether this exhibit contradicted the Catholic faith.
First Things magazine had serious discussion on this exhibit with Robert T. Miller (anti) and Claire V. McCusker (pro) on the subject. Maybe this exhibit can be moral, I just wished the diocese letter attempted to address those issues.
Hat tip to the reader that sent this to me and Power Blog.
21 comments
When the exhibit came to Vancouver last year the Archdiocese issued this statement:
“In the interest of contributing to the discussion on Science World�s controversial Body Worlds exhibit featuring �plastinated� bodies, the Archdiocese of Vancouver wishes to share some of the reservations it has regarding this attraction.
The primary concern is that the concept of the exhibit runs counter to Roman Catholic theology and our belief in the dignity of the human body, which we hold to be created in God�s image. This is more than simply a principle, but is a core belief, which permeates Catholic theology and teaching….”
The full statement is here:
http://www.rcav.org/whatsnew/body_worlds.htm
I just went to Bodies last week. My wife and I did it on a whim, but I thought about the moral implications of it all as I walked through the exhibit. My first thought was, how and where did they obtain these people, noting that most of them were of asian descent, I also thought about the China connection and their human rights violations. I thought about the treatment of the human body as a sacred vessel of the human soul as I passed through the muscule, circulatory and digestive exhibits.
People disected is not a pretty sight, but it is educational. Coming from a hunter’s background, the innerds of a mammal just doesn’t gross me out anymore. And they had to be skinned in order to get to the detail needed to convey the message.
Just being able to see nerve encasements of the spine and how complex it is made me wonder how we are not an accident, and that God’s hand is in our design. Did I need to see the exhibit to know that, no, certainly not, but it did strike a chord!
The fetal exhibit was amazing though. If a pro-choice person walks through that exhibit, one cannot help but see that these children are indeed people even at the earliest stages.
Was I Morally wrong to see the show? I doubt I committed a sin by doing so, for my intent was for pure educational purposes. Can I make judgements now that I have seen it, yes, sure, there are elements that I did not ponder prior to seeing the exhibit. Would I let my kids see it? I wouldn’t let anyone under college age (18) see the exhibit, and only in the context for education, not for entertainment.
I think Burke did the right thing by banning Catholic schools to go there, this should only be done by the parents strict guidance, not a teacher.
Pat, as as sideline, it was a nice basketball they used, but the pose was used to display a certain set of muscles and ligaments and how they acted together, it had nothing to do with sports.
I’ve heard of these exhibits; I’ve even seen the pictures. All I can say is ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh UGH!!!
This exhibit came to our city a couple of years ago. The local diocese gave a similar statement as the one you have provided from Pittsburgh. I even remember the exhibit invited someone from the diocese early on to “preview” the show (I think basically to quiet some of the potential critics). The diocese person said something along the lines that seeing the “insides” of human bodies could show the beautiful work of God. (Apparently, beautiful sunsets just can’t do it anymore).
I never even considered going to the exhibit and the more I thought about it, there was just something kind of strange about this kind of exhibit. It almost seems as if it plays on our natural curosity while removing the dignity of those people.
The Catechism (CCC # 2300) “The bodies of the dead must be treated with respect and charity, in faith and hope of the Resurrection…”
I’m sorry, I don’t think removing the skin of a person and posing them as if they are playing basketball works into that.
when this show was in dallas, smockdaddy and i considered going. for a year. questioned the moral implications of going. never did. i personally was icked by the idea.
I saw the exhibit in London in 2002 and found it very educational. The display of the circulatory system was absolutely awe inspiring. I can see how many people would be “icked” out from it, and I think the right call was made about Catholic schools not going en masse to see the exhibit, but if it’s approached from an educational mindset, the whole thing is absolutely fascinating and can engender feelings of awe at God’s creation.
Which is more necessary – educational experience or protecting human rights and dignity? There is evidence some viewers experience the exhibition as educational, both personally and societally. This evidence appears sound. The inventor and promoter present evidence that the exhibition protects the human rights and dignity of the persons displayed and of their bodies. However there is sound basis for doubt that such protection exists. When you read the pro and con opinions on the blogs and online news there seems to be two criteria on which the morality of the exhibition is being judged — whether we see it as beneficial to us, or whether we see it as disrespectful to human rights and dignity.
We have one of these exhibits in Charlotte right now, and the morality of creating the “displays” and attending the show has been the source of a lot of interesting conversation in our LIFETEEN community. Education — even health education — is praiseworthy, but I think this particular exhibit oversteps moral boundaries.
This exhibit is coming to Cincinnati, where it exposes a strange paradox. We have had a court case dragging on here for years in which a photographer worked in the County Morgue photographing bodies posed with objects for an “art project.” They were close-up shots, not whole bodies. Anyway, the families of the dead people found out about it and had a fit about him desecrating the remains of their loved ones and violating the dignity of the dead. The Coroner claimed the photographer had misled his office about what he was doing and took all the photographs in secret. The photographer claimed everyone knew what he was doing and what was all the fuss about? He was creating ART after all. The Coroner lost his position, the photographer was found guilty, but the appeals are still going.
So we have a city still fighting this thing years later, and an exhibit of dissected, plasticized dead people coming (What’s all the fuss about? It’s EDUCATIONAL after all) and no one is protesting.
Personally I don’t think the claims to educational value outweigh the dignity due to the dead. Dead people are not to be put on display for live people’s amusement. It’s not an exhibit for future doctors, it’s supposed to be a big draw for the general public. The museum claims that all the bodies were legally donated in China (we all know how great China is about human rights and following laws) and that they consulted with “religious leaders.” That makes me feel so much better…
Gail in Cincinnati
Why the reactionary statements? Why is it that only scientists get to see and study how the human body works? Why can’t scientists provide us an opportunity to see what they see? To observe and learn what they observe and learn?
This isn’t against Catholic theology whatsover and using the verse from the CCC doesn’t place it in the arena of not treating the body with dignity.
I think it absolutely shows the dignity of the human person! Look at all the veins and bone structures and muscles in action that are intricate and only could be constructed by a God of amazing imagination!
Showing a skelton kicking a soccer ball or reading an anatomy book is not either good or bad. It’s a pose. I think it’s rather creative and makes us think about our own bodies and postures. What do we look like when we are hunched over our books? When we are playing basketball?
I’m so fascinated with the body. I live nearby and would like to see the exhibit. As for the money that is being made-well, these things do cost money. People who set the exhibits up, security who watch the building, janitors that clean up after our visit, guides that help visitors find their way around, experts that are used to give us the best information, lighting bills, heating bills, all these things cost money. Are they making money too? Sure, they are a business. But I don’t think that means that this makes it inherently bad. They are offering a service to the public.
Now offering something that is against human dignity would be say, a porn store or a so called “gentlemans’ club” sure. This is offensive to the dignity of the human body-and soul. But calling science such as this against the dignity of the human person?
Posh-tish. Go see the exhibit and be prepared to be amazed at God’s marvelous work!
I had to look this up myself, and I’m glad I did. Bodies, The exhibit is not the same as Body Worlds. The latter we heard all sorts of horror stories about, the producer being in to “artistic” exhibits, like a man carrying his own skin, headless horsemen etc.
I think that sort of thing is very obviously disrespect to the dead. I don’t find any indication that the exhibit here engages in that.
The procurement of the bodies would still trouble me, also the plain fact that many people will be going to get cheap thrills, even if the intent is educational, but at least it’s not sensationally sick a la Body Worlds.
The exhibition of the body (not to mention its dodgy source, Chinese executions)for entertaiment is an outrage. Orthodox Jews and observant Muslims would never tolerate such doings.
Didn’t “Doctor” Mengele perform his grisly “experiments” for “educational” purposes?
It is not really clear, either, just how the bodies were procured, although the company claims it was ‘legal’. In China, it may not be possible for a family to take the body of a loved one, as the family may not be fully informed of their loved one’s whereabouts; may not even know they are arrested and dead. While ‘legal’ there are serious questions about how ethical it is to obtain bodies of ‘the unclaimed’ in China, unclaimed from the police nonetheless, according to an article quoting an employee of the museum who quit her job over this exhibit (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07175/796418-109.stm ).
According to the employee, Elaine Catz, “Last August, New York Times correspondent David Barboza interviewed Premier’s chief executive, who stated that, while they have “traced the whole process,” the company relies on a supplier to acquire the corpses. When Mr. Barboza went on to speak with officials at Dalian Medical University, he found that they had no record of Premier’s supplier obtaining the bodies there.”
How many of those preborn babies were there due to forced abortions? How many were our Christian brothers or sisters tortured and denied the practice of their Faith? How many were unclaimed because their families were afraid to claim them (for fear of being next?) “The police” in most Chinese provinces isn’t the same as “the police” in an American home town.
I live near Pittsburgh, and our family usually goes to the Carnegie Science center regularly. None of us will be going to this one. We may not return to that museum for a long time. There are many ways to show the amazing wonders of the human body that does not actually require a real body, especially in this day and age.
Yup. Christian martyrs, murdered babies, people of all faiths who’ve been persecuted to death, political prisoners, and any old body that isn’t wanted.
Whoo-ee, that’s educational, all right!
With all of the special effects artists that exist, all of the grisly details shown in horror movies, all of the capabilities at our disposal, why would it be necessary to use real human bodies for such educational purposes?
Mockups would serve just as well for educational purposes, but they wouldn’t have the same morbid appeal that makes people want to go to this exhibit.
Do the exhibits really honor the dead? Do they include the full information of who each person was, his family, how he died, where he was from, what he did? Or is it just a display piece that happened to be a living human at some point?
I’ve never been to one of these exhibits and would put myself squarely in the “eww” category.
One thing I’ve wondered, and perhaps someone who has been could enlighten me: Is there any effort made in the exhibit to identify the people whose corpses are on display? Are there any little signs saying, “This was John, a construction worker, who died of lung cancer at 45 and left behind a wife and three kids. He loved playing basketball.” or “This is Mary, killed in a car accident while she was 3 months pregnant. She told friends she hoped it was a girl.”
Or are the plastinated corpses just anonymous and therefore somewhat de-personalized exhibits?
How much further into depravity do we need to go?
Ask any human being if they would ‘donate’ their bodies to be skinned and manipulated and gawked at.
Who could overcome the natural tendency to treat the deceased with respect? Only ghouls and nutcases.
Catholics should take a stand against this exhibition – in the cause of decency!
Skipping some of the comments (sorry), I have to say that at the very least, this is an objectification of the body. It distances EVERY viewer from the fact that this person was, indeed, alive and had (has) an immortal soul. If it did not distance us from that, we would not be able to view it. It also occurs to me that the Catholic Church once did not permit cremation of bodies because of the doctrine of the General Resurrection. At one time, the issue would have been clear. Given the dismantling and dehumanizing of bodies, this is not a spiritually healthy exhibit, but it does not DIRECTLY violate doctrine, it just kind of skirts the edges of the human dignity issue. It’s not exactly a sin, but could it adversely impact certain types of viewers? I guess the same could be (and is) said of video games… Weird.
So when did textbooks become inadequate for education, anyway? And dissections, etc., for those who chose to study further?
As I am not a doctor, nurse, in the medical feild. WHY THE HECK would I want to see chopped up dead people. No thank you!
Urgent! To current and former exhbit employees: This is an open letter appealing to your better nature.
I know some have felt some idealistic joy at the chance to participate in what you thought was an ethical scientific opportunity. I also understand, from a conversation or two, that maybe some of you had this confidence erode over the course of the exhibit as you may have observed some of the following:
� Laser sharp focus on profits, ignoring customer complaints and focusing on daily number crunching and contests to sell the most earphones.
� Scripted rule books about how to answer questions from the public, even if from your own medical education you would have answered completely differently, and this bothered you.
� Blatant scientific mistakes ignored � like a bone missing here and there, erroneous labels, misdirected labels, comments from doctors in the guest book for obvious corrections � ignored.
� And even some especially disturbing stories of health concerns (!!)
� Responsible employees tried to email the production company, but were ignored.
If you or someone you know worked for the production company and would be willing to share your very important stories, please contact me at nobodies4profit@gmail.org.
There are no scientific standards for these companies, as a docent would be expected to adhere to. And there are no health inspections for these exhibits. They are self-regulated. These cadavers come into this country as an art exhibit. Medically speaking this is an open door. There are more government requirements for a family funeral displaying a body for 2 days than what is expected of these companies hauling these miserable cadavers around for years for profit. This is a huge concern. These bodies are not inert. They are not stable. We know that.
Docents of these exhibits are often health professionals and medical students, going in to this partnership innocently. But the dream of a future in the health field brings with it responsibility of trust. Please consider the trust the public will expect of you in the future. I�m sure you are concerned that without any health oversight, children on field trips are at risk – (who has guaranteed these people didn�t die of a communicable disease? – there is no documentation!)
I know you don�t want a potential catastrophe on your conscience. You can�t be casual about this. Email me so we can talk.
Confidentiality promised.
Apologies.
Correction:
website is http://www.nobodies4profit.org.
Contact me at nobodies4profit@gmail.COM