Debate surrounding Bodies Revealed exhibition in Ontario, Canada
While it was on display in Ontario, Canada, the human anatomy exhibition Bodies Revealed encountered a significant amount of debate. The human rights organization's research indicates that the exhibition may be using actual Chinese prisoner bodies for illegal public display. Investigations by the coroner and the police will probably follow the disclosure. If the information is accurate, the event's organizers will unavoidably be charged with a crime since it is against the law in Canada to use human bodies for public display without permission.
Disclaimers and concerns raised by human rights groups
The website for the exhibition contains a disclaimer that states the remains were initially given to Chinese authorities. Human rights groups point out that disclaimers alone do not demonstrate that it is acceptable to display these bodies. The lawyer of Choose Humanity, an organization aimed at raising awareness on violations of human rights in China, has filed a complaint to the chief coroner of Ontario. She claims that some of the bodies may belong to direct relatives of the company's clients, which could be determined by DNA testing. The legislation of many countries around the world has banned similar exhibitions due to inability to track down the origin of the bodies.
The ethical dilemma and concerns over body origin
To my mind, determining whether the displays that contain human bodies and organs violate the law is extremely difficult. Usually, the organizers of the exhibitions tend to provide dubious information about the origin of the bodies. The organizers of the exhibition should reject using real human bodies in case there is no precise data about where these bodies came from. Using bodies and body parts without the consent of the person or the relatives is unquestionably unethical. The fact that China is known as a country that severely abuses its people makes the matters even worse because many people of Chinese origin find themselves violated by the exhibition due to their family history.
