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«Give your body to science» – this is how the American company Science Care advertises in the Google search engine, which for years has been making money by selling human bodies for scientific purposes. Its founder made millions of dollars from this business. The history of the company and its controversial business model are presented by Reuters.
- Science Care describes itself as “the world’s largest donation program that enables families to donate their loved ones’ remains for medical research”
- It wasn’t just about supporting science and medicine. In 2008, Science Care set out a clear goal in a 55-page document: maximizing profits from the sale of human bodies for scientific purposes
- Former owners of the company Jim and Josie Rogers bought, among others, a plane and two luxury homes near Phoenix
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Jim Rogers of Arizona founded Science Care in 2000. A few years later, he developed a national expansion plan, including he compared his company’s operating model to … the McDonald’s chain. “No matter where you go, you get exactly the same thing,” he said, not referring to hamburgers, but human bodies and their fragments. In short, he wanted to provide his customers with the same pieces of corpse, regardless of which Science Care unit was handling the order.
They made millions and sold the company
Reuters cites data on Science Care from Internal Revenue Service audit records and court records. They show that Between 1012 and 2014, Jim and Josie Rogers made at least $ 12,5 million from selling the bodies., and earlier and after that period, their profits were most likely much higher. In 2016, they sold the company together with written declarations from 100 thousand. people who undertook to donate their bodies to science after death.
Also read: Young Poles do not want to donate organs for transplantation
Last year, the Rogers couple bought bespoke aircraft and two luxury homes near Phoenix. They also own properties in Hawaii and a nearby Colorado ski resort.
Jim Rogers, 49, does not want to be interviewed by the media. In a statement to Reuters, he said he sold Science Care to spend more time with his family. He believes that the company has not only huge earnings prospects. It can also contribute to the development of science, and on the other hand – fulfill the wishes of donors who want to contribute to this development.
This is different from organ trafficking
Donating the body for scientific purposes is different from donating organs to save human life. The US government strictly regulates these practices, and it is against the law to sell organs and other body parts for transplantation. However, what Science Care does have different laws and it is allowed if the donor agrees in writing.
However, Ray Madoff, a professor at Boston College Law School who studies how US law treats the dead, believes that people who choose to donate their bodies after death do not quite have a fair idea of how it works. They think the world will get better than this because they will contribute to the development of science. Meanwhile, businesses worth billions of dollars are born on their bodies – such as Science Care.
Also read: Polish transplantology is in trouble. Fewer and fewer donors and transplants
According to Reuters, Science Care received about 5 last year. bodies from donors. 2011 to 2015 the company received at least 17 thousand bodies and sold over 51,5 thousand. body parts. Effect? This is nearly $ 27 million from sales.
Competition for medical schools?
Medical schools in Pennsylvania and Florida report that competition from Science Care and other such companies has reduced the number of bodies donated to schools for student training. Science Care is being promoted more aggressively than medical schools, they say, and offers donors more favorable conditions, such as donating the body for free.
However, the current CEO of Science Care, Brad O’Connell, said he did not receive any complaints from medical schools. In his opinion, how Science Care works should help, not harm the schools there, if only because raises public awareness of donating the body for scientific purposes.
Also read:
- The tragedy of Poles in Mexico. “It could be trade in human organs”
- Organs for transplant from a 3D printer? “They will be widely available within 20 years”
- The Ministry of Health wants explanations about the medical experiments conducted by prof. Maksymowicz
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