It’s revolting but apparently true, anyone can buy and sell body remains in Pennsylvania.
Yes, it’s legal to wear the skulls, eyes, fingers, or toes of people who have died, and worse yet, it’s legal for hospitals to auction them to the highest bidder. Apparently, there is a bustling market for body parts, especially around Halloween.
That’s what reporting by PennLive’s DaniRae Renno has uncovered, and it’s disgusting.
It ought to be illegal.
All of this has come to light after reports on two gruesome cases involving men who trafficked in dead bodies.
At least 30 sets of human remains were found inside Jonathan Gerlach’s home on the 100 block of Washington Avenue in Ephrata, Lancaster County, authorities said. Police said he stole the remains from Mount Moriah Cemetery in Delaware County and sold some online. (Zahriah Balentine, for PennLive)Zahriah Balentine
Jonathan Gerlach, of Ephrata, was arraigned earlier this month on more than 550 counts of robbing graves. And Jeremy Pauley, 43, of Honesdale, was sentenced in December for his role in reselling human flesh, brains, two human fetuses and other human remains taken from morgues.
What they did is illegal. But if a hospital decides to sell the bodies of people who gave them for scientific research, that’s ok. And it seems to be ok for just anyone to buy them, even to hang in a tree as a Halloween skeleton.
Jeremy Pauley, formerly of East Pennsboro Township and now living in Susquehanna County, arrives at the Cumberland County courthouse. Pauley is accused of illegally buying and selling human remains.
March 5, 2024.
Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com
Renno interviewed one “dealer” in human remains who said he doesn’t condone grave robbing. But he says purchasing them from a hospital or dentist is ok, even if they will not be used for scientific or medical purposes.
These dealers say there are enough places to purchase body parts legally. The market is saturated, one said. And it’s lucrative.
We’re told one distributor, Skulls Unlimited, charges around $2,000 to nearly $7,000 for a human skull. They’re even advertised and sold online. How bizarre is that?
It’s not only bizarre; it’s downright morbid. The bodies of people who donated them for scientific research should not be treated with such disrespect. In answer to a question someone raised in Renno’s story: No. It is never ok to use a dead child’s spine as a handbag handle.
Dead bodies or any part of them should not be used for fashion or to satisfy someone’s perverse idea of art or fun.
Exemptions can be made to allow resale of body parts for scientific research, but not for mere fun and games. It’s somewhat comforting to know several states have instituted broad bans on selling human body parts, but all need to do so. And that includes Pennsylvania.
We thank Renno for making our community aware of this detestable marketing of body parts for profit. And we call on the medical profession to work with legislators now to pass laws to stop it.
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