Bishops say show exploits, degrades those whose bodies are on display

Published: 2008-03-03

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (CNS) -- Two Catholic prelates said they regard the exhibit "Bodies Revealed" that opened Feb. 29 in Kansas City as "an unfortunate exploitation of that which is 'real' to teach something that could be accomplished by use of models." "As such it represents a kind of 'human taxidermy' that degrades the actual people who, through their bodies, once lived, loved, prayed and died," said Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas and Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph. "For these reasons, we do not believe that this exhibit is an appropriate destination for field trips by our Catholic schools," they added. The exhibit features an array of human bodies in various poses, all preserved through a process of polymer preservation. Various preserved organs are also in the exhibit, which will be at Kansas City's Union Station through Sept. 1. Atlanta-based Premier Exhibitions is the organizer of the Kansas City show; it also produces a show titled "Bodies: The Exhibition," which just opened at the Cincinnati Museum Center. Both shows, say their promoter, are aimed at educating people about the human body and how to take better care of their health. A competing show called "Body Worlds" also has been on tour in the United States and other countries. It was put together by Gunther von Hagens, a German anatomist who invented a plastination process for preserving bodies. Questions have been raised about the source of some of the cadavers, namely for "Bodies: The Exhibition," considered to have the higher profile of Premier's two shows.

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