ABC 33/40 News has obtained court documents revealing another case of a deceased Alabama inmate’s body found missing organs. The body of Charles Edward Singleton was returned to his family missing all organs including his brain.
Legal organ trafficking, because why the fuck not?
Illegal, because the organ harvesting was without consent, but absolutely that’s what they were doing with them. No doubt whatsoever.
Well, Buck v. Bell was never overturned, so the US government still has the right to sterilize citizens without consent. So I’m not sure this is much of a leap.
It’s funny, but people are happy to do to the living what they generally would be horrified to do with the dead. I’m not kidding. People will treat other living beings horribly, but start messing with corpses and the average person gets really upset.
Respect the dead but not the living until we make them dead.
Their argument is that the harvesting WAS with consent
Huh, I missed that. But if it was, they would be able to provide proof of consent to the family, which they are apparently unable to do. When it comes to body parts, you have to have more than a spoken agreement, so if they actually had legitimate consent executed in a legally compliant manner, they’d be able to produce it.
Check out Alabama law on the subject:
22-19-164 Manner of making anatomical gift before donor’s death.
(a) A donor may make an anatomical gift:
(1) by authorizing a statement or symbol indicating that the donor has made an anatomical gift to be imprinted on the donor’s driver’s license or identification card;
(2) in a will;
(3) during a terminal illness or injury of the donor, by any form of communication addressed to at least two adults, at least one of whom is a disinterested witness; or
(4) as provided in subsection (b).
(b) A donor or other person authorized to make an anatomical gift under Section 22-19-163 may make a gift by a donor card or other record signed by the donor or other person making the gift or by authorizing that a statement or symbol indicating that the donor has made an anatomical gift be included on a donor registry. If the donor or other person is physically unable to sign a record, the record may be signed by another individual at the direction of the donor or other person and must:
(1) be witnessed by at least two adults, at least one of whom is a disinterested witness, who have signed at the request of the donor or the other person; and
(2) state that it has been signed and witnessed as provided in subdivision (1).
(c ) Revocation, suspension, expiration, or cancellation of a driver’s license or identification card upon which an anatomical gift is indicated does not invalidate the gift.
(d) An anatomical gift made by will takes effect upon the donor’s death whether or not the will is probated. Invalidation of the will after the donor’s death does not invalidate the gift.
EDITED TO ADD: The death occurred at a non-prison hospital, and the autopsy was done by University of Alabama Birmingham pathology department. Hospitals absolutely know the legal requirements for all death-related transfers, gifts, and destruction of body parts/biologic material, and it’s unlikely (though not impossible) that the hospital is where the theft took place. Rather, I would bet cash that there is someone on the take at the UAB pathology department selling parts on the side, because autopsy is where the actual bits get separated from the whole and disbursed (and a frequent locale for cadaver parts theft).
There’s also some Black Mirror-esque things they could be trying.
Shit, I watched a Polish movie with exactly this theme
https://m.imdb.com/title/tt2627146/
Highly recommend
I’m looking forward to Alabama’s argument that a woman doesn’t have a right to control her fetus, therefor an inmate doesn’t have a right to control their organs.
Lot of profit in selling body parts
The family wasn’t convicted of a crime. Even if they were, this is not how we punish or rehabilitate people.
Well they weren’t gonna eat the organs. Can’t let that all go to waste.
Sweet home Alabama
What the fuck
Why take the brain? That can’t be trafficked.
Perhaps as an anatomical specimen for study? There’s a market for that. It’s usually where someone ends up when they legitimately donate their body to ‘science’.
I saw they found the brain:
Nah that’s Abby Normal. Says it right on the label.
I read it as the warning is directed at Abby.
Do not use this brain, ABBY
That little shit.
Legitimate uses of brains often aren’t relying on the black market though.
I suspect that somebody sold it to an obscura collector, film production, or pervert.
I think you are blissfully unaware of the current scope of clinical trial fraud in the US right now.
That is not a joke. There is so much cash changing hands that “medical” practices are getting into patient care just to be able to enroll them in lucrative trials – and when the studies are double or quadruple blinded, there may not even be any real patients at all.
And if you do happen to be aware of just how widespread clinical trial fraud is, don’t forget about where the first study cadavers came from, purchased by very respectable schools of higher education. So many that throughout the 19th century graves had all manner of anti-theft devices, watchmen, and story material for Edgar Allan Poe.
Maybe someone did sell these organs to a private collector; even Harvard got caught selling parts of parts last year. But it’s just as likely to be a seemingly “legit” organization as not, one with targets to meet and not able to recruit volunteers (or volunteers with the correct anomalies) in enough numbers to meet their needs.
EDITED TO ADD: I only linked one part, but this is an eight-parts series by Reuters, and an excellent read for anyone who really wants to understand how widespread this is (may I suggest not reading it anywhere near bedtime):
Do you know how someone goes about getting set up to donate their body to science? I want that done with my body, but have no idea how to get it set up and put in a will.
They have to feed the zombies in administration something
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So it’s Squid Game without the cash prize, got it.
Looks like America is starting to follow China’s lead with regards to organ harvesting…
Did they at least ask before dismembering then?
“May we have your liver?”
“Might as well throw in the intestines, liver, brain and pancreas while you’re at it”
Once again: prisons in the USA south are fucked. Worst in America. The brutality of christian states is horrifying.
