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October 06, 2011 at 09:45 AM
Families in Illinois now have extra reason to buy burial insurance: their loved one’s remains could be donated to science if they can’t pay.
A steep decline in the number of bodies donated to science has caused Cook County, Ill., to dust off an old law requiring unclaimed bodies be turned over for medical research. Under a deal struck between the county and the Anatomical Gift Association (AGA), cadavers that haven’t been claimed after two weeks will be given to the AGA. However, families then have a 60-day grace period to object to the AGA donation. Those who can’t pay but don’t want to donate the body can have it sent back to the morgue.
