Expert: Michael Troy - 7/30/2004

Question
"Hellow
my name is igael attias and i am a law student from israel.
i am working on a law project about the right for diginy after death
my question is:
is the right for diginy after death a constitutional right and what
is the ballance between this right and the right of medical students
or someone else to lern about human bodies on the account of the
dignity of the body.
Thanks.

Answer
Hi there,

The US Constitution says nothing about the treatment of dead bodies.  There is no particular constitutional right.  Any specific rules are left up to the 50 states.

I believe that most states require that the deceased consent to use of the body for research before he died or have the closest relative give permission.  In some cases, unclaimed bodies may also be used for research.

Most States or research facilities have strict rules about how research cadavers may be used in order to to ensure that the body is not treated improperly.  But these are all policy decisions made by those in charge.

I hope this helps!
- Mike