Woman donated husband’s body to science but it ended up being blown up by military

Around 20,000 bodies are donated every year

Steve Hansen was one of roughly 20,000 bodies donated to science every year, with 47 of the 50 US states allowing this through the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act.

This is where the rules and standards are set for both body and organ donation and are given informed consent of either the person donating or their loved ones.

When the agreements are signed off, it there is usually a condition as part of the agreement which confirms if the body is to be used for research or education, but that isn't always the case.

In the case of Hansen, he had registered to become an organ donor but after dying from cirrhosis of the liver in 2012, doctors said that his organs weren't healthy enough for donation.

At the time, hospice workers suggested to his wife Jill that his body should be donated for science.

"What I envisioned was him being in some medical facility," she explained to CBS.

"I just thought, what a great candidate for them to learn about the results of alcoholism and what it does to a body."

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One woman thought she was donating her husband’s body to study the effects of alcoholism, but instead, his body was sold without consent to the military, and used in a ballistic experiment. Stream our new CBS Reports documentary, "Body Brokers," now at cbsnews.com/bodies.

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Despite the suggestion of the hospice workers, Hansen's body was sold to the Department of Defence after initially being transported to the Biological Research Center in Arizona." 

"They told me specifically that my husband had been used as a crash test dummy in a simulated Humvee explosion," she added.

The body was sold by BRC founder Stephen Gore without Jill’s consent where it was used to conduct military and ballistics tests which the court documents said resulted in "the complete mutilation and desecration of the donor's body."

She said: "I was devastated. I would've never done it if I had known.

"I just kept telling him I was sorry."

Gore would be arrested in 2014 after FBI agents raided his house, leaving some needing trauma therapy because of some of the disturbing and graphic scenes on show, and was sentenced to a year in prison with four years on parole.

A body broker bill was introduced in 2022 that would see regulations on body donation federalised, however no date on the vote has been set yet.

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