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How Much is Your Dead Body Worth?

When veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke died in 2004 few suspected that he was yet to uncover his greatest story. What happened to his body as it lay in a funeral home would reveal a story of modern day grave robbery and helped smash a body-snatching ring that had made millions of dollars by chopping up and selling-off over 1000 bodies. Dead bodies have become big business. Each year millions of people’s lives are improved by the use of tissue from the dead. Bodies are used to supply spare parts, and for surgeons to practice on. Horizon investigates the medical revolution that has created an almost insatiable demand for body parts and uncovers the growing industry and grisly black market that supplies human

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  1. Although I know my view is kind of biased, since some irrational (in my opinion) and religious people want to preserve their bodies i na coffin *eyeroll* instead of recycling them back into the earth.

  2. I dunno, is it just me or is this stuff not as evil as they suggest it to be?
    Like, they’re not killing people for their bodies or anything–all they’re doing is misusing the already-dead ones……which helps peope that are still ALIVe….like seriously….they’re dead, who cares -.- I mean, yeah it would suck if instead of getting cremated my body was cut up (cus cremation is my #1 choice) but…..it’s like…you’re telling me the worst case scenario is that my body will be illegally sold to people practising medicine? lol I have no major issue with that…

    • I think the key-word you used there was ‘misusing’ which kinda undermines your whole point, does it not?

    • I think that the problem with this is not focused on the “killing people for their bodies” matter but more so on the fact that they weren’t consented by the family. It’s good that people are willing to donate their bodies to help others but Michael Mastromarino and his associates were selling body parts for the sole purpose of making money. They forged papers and even made the cause of deaths look less serious than it really was. And furthermore, there is an age bracket for the donors who can donate their body. They didn’t care whether the deceased had a disease or not, which could possibly infect the person who receives the donated body part. So I think that the problem with this is possibly giving someone a disease instead of trying to save a life…

  3. There´s no way I would like to see my head ending up in one of those freezers waiting to be sold for 600 quid whether it´s stolen or not. That is one creepy business

  4. There´s no way I would like to see my head ending up in one of those freezers waiting to be sold for 600 quid whether it´s stolen or not. That is one creepy business

  5. lol my first though was like:

    I’m gonna die and make me some money!

    oh..wait..thats not gonna work 🙁

  6. Just change the law about donations to an opt-out instead of opt-in.
    That would still give the option to those who have religious or other objections the right not to have their body utilised, but would increase available bodies dramatically as bodies of all those who don’t care or just don’t get round to doing it would be available.

  7. Hey,

    I thought both you and your readers might consider receiving free copy of Dead Rising 2. Here’s situation.
    I stumbled upon a website – http://www.deadrising2forfree.info (that i believed was a total nonsense, because everybody knows there is nothing “free” and I saw this sort of websites before a lot), I made the decision to give it a try and clicked through, followed on-screen instructions – and here I am 3 weeks later with my brand-new shiny piece of plastic – Dead Rising 2 unboxed!

    Now get there and try it out yourself.

    Hope I added some value to your blog and someone gets as lucky as me!