Displays like this one from Bodies...the Exhitibion, could be banned from Hawaii shores forever.– Photo: Associated Press

Bye, bye Bodies!
House bill looks to ban body exhibitions

By Mokihana Aki/ Heart of Hawaii

State House members will be meeting tomorrow to discuss a bill that will ban displays like “Bodies…The Exhibition,” where preserved human remains are displayed, from showing in Hawaii again. 

House Bill 28 would require shows, such as “Bodies,” to provide proof that the bodies exhibited were donated with legal consent of the deceased, otherwise the show would be prohibited from doing business in the islands and face a fine up to $5,000 or a year in prison.          

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Marcus Oshiro (D-Wahiawa-Poamoho), after his research in the matter of the origins of the bodies prompted questions of ethical concern after it was rumored that the bodies belonged to tortured and executed Chinese prisoners.   

“Both culture and religious reasons require that we treat a person's physical remains with great respect and care. It's fundamental. It's a person's body,” said Oshiro.
“Bodies...The Exhibition” is owned by Premier Exhibitions, based in Atlanta, openly acknowledges that the cadavers shown have been purchased from the Chinese government for the sum of $25 million, but Premier cannot guarantee the exact origins of the bodies.

Similar bills have been introduced in New York, California, and Pennsylvania, all of where “Bodies…The Exhibition” has been shown. These bills also aim to stop injustices to human rights regarding a person’s body even after the person has died.

“Bodies…The Exhibition” has been seen by millions of people across the country as well as internationally.  It displays bodies and body parts that have been filled with polymers that replace the fluids in the tissues and allow for preservation, a technique developed by scientist, Gunther Van Haugens