20/20 Response

Dear Union Station Visitor,

As you may be aware, ABC aired a story on February 15, 2008 as part of its news program “20/20” that related to public exhibitions of human bodies. The piece raised questions about the origins of the specimens used in some bodies-related exhibitions and attempted to discredit the exhibition company’s ethics.

Union Station would like to clarify that the exhibit it is currently hosting, BODIES REVEALED, was NOT mentioned in this story. There are a number of bodies-related traveling exhibitions around the world. A second exhibit managed by Premier Exhibitions, Inc., “Bodies…The Exhibition”, and a competing exhibition, “Body Worlds,” produced by Gunther von Hagens, were the focus of “20/20’s” coverage.

Premier Exhibitions has now, and always, assured Union Station that all of the bodies and organ specimens on display in BODIES REVEALED were procured from individuals who willingly and knowingly chose to donate their bodies to science. Those individuals made their anatomical gifts to accredited medical universities in the People’s Republic of China, and all specimens were then received by the Nanjing Suyi Plastination Laboratories in Nanjing, China. Premier Exhibitions contracts with the laboratory to present the educational and inspiring BODIES REVEALED exhibition to audiences worldwide.

Premier Exhibitions has never made secret that specimens used in its other exhibit, “Bodies … The Exhibition”, are unclaimed or unidentified specimens. The company asserts that human specimens in medical schools in China, the United States and other countries throughout the world are largely made up of unclaimed or unidentified bodies. Premier believes that Asia possesses the largest and most highly competent group of dissectors in the world, who are highly skilled in preparing the bodies for educational and scientific purposes. Premier insists if the experts in the field of polymer preservation were based in the United States then all of the bodies would be American because, in the U.S. as in China, unclaimed or unidentified bodies are donated to medical schools or universities.

Ultimately, Premier Exhibitions has always maintained, and continues to affirm, that they have a strict ethical policy that guides their decisions, and they hold a deep respect for the handling, care and treatment of each specimen in their exhibitions. Additionally, they continually monitor their specimen review program, which includes examination of every single specimen by Premier’s medical experts to ensure the specimen died of natural causes before it is put into an exhibit. Dr. Roy Glover, the Company’s Chief Medical Director, oversees this process. Dr. Glover is a former Associate Professor of Anatomy and Cell Biology at the University of Michigan Medical School. He and his staff have never found evidence of gunshot wounds, trauma, torture or other bodily injury to any of the specimens received by Premier Exhibitions.

If you have additional questions, please check out our BODIES REVEALED FAQ’s or view testimonials about what visitors to the exhibition in other venues had to say. You can also visit Premier Exhibition’s website for BODIES REVEALED.

We understand that it is an individual’s right to choose whether or not they wish to see BODIES REVEALED. We continue to stand by our belief of this exhibit’s educational value and hope many will choose to visit. However, we certainly respect the decision of those who do not.

We value the public’s support of Union Station and of our mission to promote innovation, research and discovery in science and technology.

Sincerely,
Andi Udris
President and CEO
Union Station Kansas City, Inc.