this post was submitted on 20 Jun 2025
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Unpopular Opinion

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We do not need our bodies once we leave this world regardless of what you think happens after we die. We should be focused on curing diseases and extending the life of living humans. Science would go so far if we used human bodies after death instead of requiring people to give consent to something they don't need.

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[–] FriendFatale@leminal.space 6 points 1 day ago

in america your body is likely to go to the military so some 19 year old can cut off your head and shove fireworks in the hole

[–] rowinxavier@lemmy.world 11 points 2 days ago

Just switch it to opt out, not opt in. In Australia you can opt in to organ donation but many people don't care either way. My partner would definitely opt out because they don't feel OK with it, and fair enough, but most people actually don't care and would go with the default.

No, fuck that fuck you and fuck capitalism. We are already exploited enough in life, now we'll also have to not only be sour in that we are also exploited in death, but also that at the first nail through or difficult cough our health services will "mysteriously" fail to treat us so that the kid over next door can have an extra kidney and the interns on the big corpo who made the last donation have an extra body minus kidney to jerk off to.

[–] douz0a0bouz@midwest.social 9 points 2 days ago

No one person can make that determination or all of us. Also, have you looked into what actually happens when a body gets donated. Here is John Oliver's investigation:

https://youtu.be/Tn7egDQ9lPg

[–] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 22 points 2 days ago

Some doctors and scientists are really fucked up and value their experiements over human life. If bodies become a resource they can claim, some patients may not get the care they deserve because the body would be valuable to their studies and experiments.

There is also concerns for the organ market.

Culturally, humans have long standing and many unique traditions for caring for their dead. Someone and their remaining family should not be denied their funeral rights because science wants their body.

A better option would be increasing the amount of awareness for these programs so that people willing to donate their body or organs are informed of their existence and goals and can choose to donate.

[–] jonesey71@lemmus.org 8 points 2 days ago

I want my remains spread around Disney World. Also I do not wish to be cremated.

[–] AmazingAwesomator@lemmy.world 73 points 3 days ago (1 children)

having an opt-out policy instead if an opt-in policy would allow those that care enough to opt out, but allow science and organ donation to become the cultural norm.

[–] Anomalocaris@lemm.ee 10 points 3 days ago (6 children)

if you opt out, you are no longer eligible to receive organs if you need them

[–] AmazingAwesomator@lemmy.world 38 points 3 days ago

i disagree here. someone caring enough to opt out shouldnt be considered a detriment to the program - i dont think a punishment here is suitable; after all, in my country (usa) we want people to have different viewpoints from our own (as much as the current racist president would probably despise that phrase, it is still a strong sentiment among the people).

having body/organ donations as a normal part of society would make a plethora of organs and bodies available - having a couple fewer bodies shouldnt be reprimanded.

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[–] DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This opinion is unpopular because science doesn't need that many bodies and organ shortages are already solved by opt-out systems, so it's just being a tyrant for no gain over far simpler solutions.

[–] bstix 2 points 1 day ago

Organ shortages are definitely not covered by opt in.

Opt out also doesn't mean that scientist have to use all the bodies.

It's never been a problem to have too many bodies. It's a lot easier to turn away some when they're not needed than it is to find one when needed.

[–] Korhaka@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 day ago

In some countries that is the default option

[–] KoboldCoterie@pawb.social 45 points 3 days ago (1 children)

It's worth giving this paper from 2021 a read. The basic conclusion is that shifting away from an opt-in organ donation system does not increase the number of actual organs available, because the number of people willing to donate organs is not the (only) bottleneck in obtaining usable organs.

[–] Sackeshi@lemmy.world 11 points 3 days ago (6 children)

Soon that will change since we're starting to genetically modify pigs to grow human organs.

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[–] Hotrod54chevy@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Probably an unpopular reply, but I already have enough fear of organ harvesting. I don't need the government to one day decide that there are too many people on waiting lists so they're just gonna pull feeding tubes or some other drastic dystopian level shit they're probably really thinking about. Maybe kill off a few minorities or poor people or the handicapped while we're already ignoring body autonomy and basic human rights?

[–] FooBarrington@lemmy.world 3 points 2 days ago (8 children)

If they're gonna go that far, do you really think your consent matters at all?

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[–] brendansimms@lemmy.world 30 points 3 days ago (3 children)

There was a scandal in the US where bodies being donated to ‘science’ were used for munitions testing by the us military. So the “who receives said body” is very important.

[–] FireRetardant@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago

Technically speaking, those bodies were used for science. Just they were used for military science, not health sciences.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Yeah but there you're talking about the US where no one gives a fuck about anything but money.

I fully agree that after tmdeath all bodies should be used automatically for either organ donation or science. I'm dead already, let my (un)timely demise be the reason why someone else can be helped

[–] Crankenstein@lemmy.world 8 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Their point is you cannot just use a blanket term such as "for science" and expect everyone else to know what is and isn't considered appropriate. As they said, those bodies were still used "for science"... military science and weapons testing. It is still technically "for science".

The discussion shouldn't be on what we personally find appropriate, instead we must first determine who has authority over the cadaver. It is no longer a person with autonomy, just a bag of flesh and bone, an inanimate object. Who owns it? The next of kin? The state? Some other third entity?

Once this question is answered, it will be up to them what ultimately happens to the cadaver.

[–] phoenixz@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Fair enough

My point was more about that if my body gets used for science in say, Canada or Europe, i can probably rest easily (pun intended) knowing that my remains will be treated with respect.

In the USA its a damn near guarantee that someone will use my body in a YouTube video to score a few cheap points

I was more going off about how in the US way too many people respect nothing, not even the dead, and that everything has been cheapened

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[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

"Put 'em in the movies!" - Bill Hicks

[–] KAtieTot@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 day ago

He was talking about terminal and hospice patients. People who were still alive

"Holy shit, Jackie Chan kicked grammas head off"

[–] lightnsfw@reddthat.com 11 points 2 days ago (1 children)

If my body is valuable my family should get paid for it. The healthcare industry certainly is when they use the organs.

[–] modus@lemmy.world 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Probably why there's such a push for people to become donors. Don't consider the needs of the sick, but of the shareholders.

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[–] GreenKnight23@lemmy.world 14 points 3 days ago (5 children)
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[–] outhouseperilous@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Problem is, lots of them just get given to cops to play with.

If i knew it was gonna get cut up to train new surgeons or study how i died or figure out how i didn't so many times, I'd be on board.

But there's no way yo be sure it won't be a chew toy for cops. So I'll be cremated.

[–] Nenutzerbame@feddit.org 3 points 2 days ago (6 children)

You do have sources for a claim that fucking extreme, right?

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[–] rektdeckard@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago (2 children)

Sorry wait what are the cops doing with the bodies?

[–] kux@lemm.ee 3 points 1 day ago

i'm sure there's far more to this but here's one interesting article on the subject

A body donated to science - but used to test bombs: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-49198405

of course this is less of a worry in countries other than the US. But tbh if i lived there i'd still give the ok as there's still a chance of my corpse being put to some better use than ash or worm food

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[–] LilB0kChoy@midwest.social 8 points 2 days ago

This is a proper unpopular opinion because, as someone who received an organ transplant from a deceased donor, I disagree with it.

I am a huge advocate for organ donation for obvious reasons but I don't think it should come at the cost of bodily autonomy.

[–] blueamigafan@lemmy.world 9 points 3 days ago

Here in the UK all everyone is automatically on the donation list, you have to opt out, not opt in like a lot of countries.

[–] Yawweee877h444@lemmy.world 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Agreed. But also, cemeteries and casket burials should be banned. Complete waste of space and land. Cremate or better yet, let the animals and bugs eat my dead meat.

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[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 2 points 2 days ago

No-one's gonna want my organs by the time I'm done with them. I'm not too keen on them myself at this point.

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