Monday, February 22, 2010

Corpses become commodities

People in the UK can decide in advance to donate their body or organs to medical science after their death. No payment is made to the person who donates their body, nor to the estate of the deceased.In the US, however, there is an increasingly commercial element to this supply and demand.

The Anatomy Gifts Registry charges fees for supplying bodies and tissues to medical companies and universities.
"We expect to recover between $5,000 and $6,000 per cadaver - either in its entirety or after the body has been divided"

In the US, it is a felony to actually purchase or sell a body, human tissue or organs.But the law excludes the payment for the removal, processing and preservation of cadavers.Getting reimbursed for such services opens up a huge window for commerce.

"The US is a wonderful place to see entrepreneurs in action and this is what they have done" Professor Michel Anteby at Harvard University said "About 15 years ago, some people decided that there was a niche for such services and these ventures have become extremely successful.Some of them get more than 1,000 donations a year."

Capitalism knows no bounds when it comes to making a profit .

“capitalism, oppressor of the living, is the murderer also of the dead” - Amadeo Bordiga

1 comment:

pete21 said...

I stopped giving blood, because blood goes to Private Hospitals, who then "sell" the blood that they get from the NHS for free to wealthy patients!