This article is a part of the series called “Dealing with the Deceased,” which delves into the utilization of unclaimed bodies for medical research purposes. Authorities in Texas are currently looking into a medical school’s actions involving the dissection and leasing of bodies without obtaining consent from surviving family members. The Texas Funeral Service Commission sent a notification to the University of North Texas Health Science Center on Oct. 18, initiating an investigation into their body donation program. This information was revealed through a public records request made by journalists this week.
The Commission’s notice of complaint came after NBC News published an investigation disclosing that the Health Science Center in Fort Worth had dissected, studied, and leased out numerous unclaimed bodies without prior consent from the deceased or their families. Rudy Villarreal, an investigator with the Funeral Service Commission, stated in a letter addressed to the former president of the Health Science Center, Sylvia Trent-Adams, that this failure to seek permission from next of kin and the center’s reluctance to promptly release remains to grieving relatives may have breached state laws. Villarreal also alleged that the center did not obtain regulatory approval before transporting bodies and body parts across state lines.
The Funeral Service Commission, responsible for overseeing body donation in Texas, has the authority to impose fines on programs found in violation. In a statement, the agency confirmed that the investigation is ongoing.
Andy North, a spokesperson for the Health Science Center, mentioned that they have been actively working to provide all requested documents accurately in response to the investigation.
The inquiry by the Funeral Service Commission is just one of the repercussions following the NBC News report. Families have come forward, expressing that they would have claimed their loved ones’ bodies if they had been informed of their deaths. The bodies in question included military veterans, individuals facing addiction and homelessness issues, and even a young murder victim. The Health Science Center had shipped these bodies and body parts to medical schools, device manufacturers, and health education companies outside the state, charging varying amounts for different body parts.
Taking action following these revelations, the Health Science Center announced in September that it was suspending its body donation program, terminating those in charge, and initiating a review by a consultant. They issued apologies to affected families last fall. Additionally, Dallas and Tarrant counties terminated their agreements for unclaimed bodies with the center, and various organizations, including Boston Scientific and the U.S. Army, reconsidered their partnerships with the program.
Recently, a Texas state senator proposed legislation to prohibit the usage of unclaimed bodies without proper consent. The Funeral Service Commission requested the Health Science Center to provide documentation relating to their body donation program in their October letter.
The program set a 15-day deadline to comply, with the Health Science Center later granted a 45-day extension and providing records on a monthly rolling basis. The center has turned over more than 1,800 documents, as reported by a Funeral Service Commission official. Additionally, the commission issued a cease-and-desist letter to the Health Science Center in November, instructing them to stop the practice of liquefying corpses through water cremation, deemed illegal in Texas. In their response to the commission dated Dec. 4, the Health Science Center defended their use of water cremations, also known as alkaline hydrolysis, stating that they had ceased the practice in September.
