Abstract
With the ongoing and expanding use of willed bodies in medical
education and research, there has been a concomitant rise in the need for willed
bodies and an increase in the means of supplying these bodies. A relatively
recent development to enlarge this supply has been the growth of for‐
profit willed body companies (“body brokers”) in the United States.
These companies advertise for donors, cover all cremation and other fees for the
donor, distribute the bodies or body parts nationally and internationally, and
charge their users for access to the body or body parts. In doing so, they
generate substantial profits. This review examines the historical development of
willed body programs, the legal and economic aspects of willed body programs, and
then provides an ethical framework for the use of willed bodies. The ethical
principles described include detailed informed consent from the donors,
comprehensive and transparent information about the process from the body
donation organizations, and societal input on the proper and legal handling of
willed bodies. Based on the ethical principles outlined, it is recommended that
there be no commercialization or commodification of willed bodies, and that
programs that use willed bodies should not generate profit.
