An OPEN LETTER signed by lawyers, academics, ethicists and human rights advocates urges the Australian Government to close the ‘Real Bodies’ exhibition immediately. The authors also call for a boycott by all schools, universities and other organized groups.
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OPEN LETTER TO THE PRIME MINISTER, OPPOSITION LEADER, MINISTER FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND NSW MINISTER FOR HEALTH
Dear Prime Minister, Mr Shorten, Minister Bishop, Minister Hunt, and Minister Hazzard,
The Australian Committee of the International Coalition to End Transplant Abuse in China (ETAC) wish to bring to your attention our grave concerns regarding “Real Bodies-The Exhibition” currently showing at the Byron Kennedy Hall in the Entertainment Quarter at Moore Park, Sydney. We request, as a matter of urgency, that you take immediate action to close it down.
“Real Bodies-The Exhibition” is a for-profit business which tours the world exhibiting flayed, plastinated human corpses fashioned into grotesque postures along with plastinated specimens of various human organs.
Doctors, ethicists, lawyers and human rights advocates at ETAC have substantial concerns about the provenance of the bodies used in this exhibition. Allegedly the exhibits are sourced from the unclaimed corpses of people who have died in hospital, procured by the Public Security Bureau, however it is not possible the bodies were ‘unclaimed’, as according to regulations and autopsy rules issued by China’s Ministry of Health on February 22, 1979[1], bodies can only be declared ‘unclaimed’ after 30 days. Of note, the plastination process, which involves the use of silicon, epoxy, and other polymer mixtures to replace the fluid in the human body, must occur within 48 hours of death. Therefore it is not possible to plastinate a corpse that is 30 days old (see addendum).
Rather than being sourced from unclaimed bodies, as the exhibitors claim, there is credible evidence that these are the bodies of executed prisoners and prisoners of conscience from China.[2]
Tom Zaller, CEO of Imagine Exhibitions, recently made public admissions that the bodies are “absolutely from China”. He said there is “no documentation” to prove their identities or show they had agreed in life to donate their corpses in death.[3] The bodies used in the exhibition are provided by the Dalian Medical University Biology Plantation in China.
Using human organs and tissues without consent for financial profit is the antithesis of ethical and legal practice as set out in the Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplantation and the Council of Europe Convention against Trafficking in Human Organs.[4] Further, such conduct of organ trafficking and organ tourism is a serious breach of international human rights law, and Australia should have no part in it.
Many cities and countries around the world, including Hawaii, France, Seattle and Israel[5] recently banned similar exhibitions of plastinated human beings.
We are astonished that visas and permits for bringing this exhibition into Australia were issued by the Australian Government, given the lack of documentation demonstrating ethical and legal sourcing of each body. No motivation for profit or political sensitivities could ever justify such a crass and undignified violation of human rights.
We, the undersigned, therefore ask that this exhibition be closed immediately given the lack of clarity about the origins of the preserved human beings and body parts on display.
We trust that you will treat this as a matter of urgency and look forward to your immediate response.
Yours sincerely
Madeleine Bridgett
International human rights barrister
Chair, Australian Committee, ETAC
Susie Hughes
Executive Director and
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Dr Robyn Clay-Williams
Research Fellow
Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Mitchell Coidan
Lawyer
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Prof Maria Fiatarone Singh
Professor, Sydney Medical School, University of Sydney
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Nathan Kennedy
Lawyer
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Prof Vaughan Macefield
Adjunct Professor of Physiology, School of Medicine, Western Sydney University
Contributing Expert, ETAC
A/Prof Paul Macneill
Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Michelle Nguyen
Partner
My.T. Nguyen Solicitors
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Dr Holly Northam
Senior Lecturer, Disciplines of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Canberra
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Prof Wendy Rogers
Professor of Clinical Ethics, Macquarie University, Sydney
Chair, International Advisory Committee and Australian Committee Member, ETAC
Dr Sarah Winch
Ethicist, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland
CEO, Health Ethics Australia
Australian Committee Member, ETAC
[1] Notice from Ministry of Health About the Re-Release of “Autopsy Rules” September 10, 1979 (79) Health Education No. 1329, Medicine and Health Administration and Enforcement Electronic Library September 10, 1979
http://www.moj.gov.cn/2008sfjd/2005-11/16/content_791669.htm
https://archive.is/ouzbw
[2] https://endtransplantabuse.org/an-update-chapter-eleven-a-crime/#plastinated-bodies
[3] http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/human-body/real-bodies-the-exhibition-controversy-about-disturbing-origins-of-corpses/news-story/fb3e9d7702cfdbb1bba171b87df9ca32
[4] See https://www.declarationofistanbul.org/ and https://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/full-list/-/conventions/treaty/216
[5] http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/france-shuts-popular-bodies-show/story?id=7411070
https://museumplanner.org/hawaii-shuts-down-real-human-bodies-show/#.WtSJwq57ITw.mailto
https://spectator.sme.sk/c/20044957/corpse-show-sparks-controversy.html
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=5628123&page=1
https://www.seattlepi.com/local/article/Seattle-City-Council-bans-Bodies-exhibit-897239.php
Addendum
References:
The process of plastination of whole-body slices actually starts with the proper choice of corpses. Preferably one may choose the shortest possible postmortem interval (2 to 10 days) is desirable because of the autolytic degeneration of delicate tissues.
