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Tasmanian government apologises over decades-old stolen body parts scandal
Families of more than 100 victims received an apology after investigators found pathologists kept 177 autopsy specimens without consent.
- On Tuesday, Health Minister Bridget Archer delivered a formal, unreserved apology in Parliament to families of 177 people whose organs and tissues were unlawfully taken during autopsies, stating, "These were not just body parts or specimens or human remains, they were people."
- Between 1966 and 1991, forensic and hospital pathologists "actively sourced" 177 human specimens from autopsies for the University of Tasmania's RA Rodda Museum without family consent, a practice continuing for more than 25 years before investigation uncovered it.
- John Santi, whose brother Tony died in 1976, told Australian Associated Press , "We buried him 50 years ago, only to find out 50 years later that these people had stolen his brain." The discovery devastated the family.
- A Department of Health investigation linked five individuals to the illicit collection; four were fully identified, including two now deceased, and one partially identified, with none currently employed as pathologists in Tasmania.
- Labor Leader Josh Willie called the scandal one of the "most profound" failures of public institutions in Tasmania's history, while University of Tasmania Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Health Professor Graeme Zosky issued a separate apology, acknowledging the "hurt and distress" families endured.
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12 Articles
12 Articles
Between 1966 and 1991, pathologists in Tasmania took 177 samples from deceased persons without the family's permission.
·Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
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They had buried their loved ones. Decades later, they learned that body parts had been stored in a museum.
·Oslo, Norway
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left6Leaning Right2Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
11%
R 22%
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