What you should know before donating your body to science

Written by Joanna Hall for Australian Seniors

For as long as I can remember my name has been on an organ donation register, not just because I am passionate about health, but because it seems like the logical thing to do. Knowing that my organs and tissues could give someone else a better life helps me make sense of my future passing. 

Eight years ago, however, a dear friend lost her battle with cancer and I was inspired to take my donation intentions a step further. After her death, I learned she’d donated her body to science, creating a lightbulb moment. While it might seem to some as a radical postscript to life, I saw body donation as another way to save lives in the future.

What is body donation?

The procedure involves donating the whole body after death to a medical school or research institution for education, training or research. “It is a huge decision to make,” Dr Alison Wright says, Anatomy Facility Manager at Griffith University. “Body donation is the greatest gift one can give because a body can be instrumental in teaching the next generation of health professionals.”

A practice that has deep roots in ancient India and Greece, body donation and the study of anatomy have a troubled, shared history that includes an association with body-snatching and dissection of bodies without consent. It’s perhaps one reason why some still feel squeamish about the concept. In 2023, almost 180,000 individuals signed up for the Australian Organ Donor Register, but only a tiny fraction of that, estimated at fewer than 2,000, donate their bodies to science each year.

Besides religious or spiritual beliefs, body donation is a difficult subject to think about, let alone discuss, because it deals with sensitive issues including your mortality or the death of a loved one. 

“It can also be emotionally fraught if relatives haven’t been brought into that discussion,” Dr Wright says. “If the next of kin haven’t been informed and aren’t on board with the decision to donate it can make things difficult at death.”

How to donate your body to science in Australia

In Australia, body donation is regulated by different laws from organ donation and has different procedures and criteria in each state and territory. There isn’t a sole register; you choose a donor program, usually run by a university, and complete legal paperwork to get the ball rolling.

“For body donation, it’s typical to choose a program closest to where you live, but you can select any as long as you fit within the criteria,” Dr Wright says. “Each program may have slight variations to what they accept with things like weight ranges, amputations, prosthetics being exclusionary to one program but not so for others.”

What to expect after you register

Several major universities around the country run body donor programs. When my husband and I decided to donate our bodies, we registered with Griffith University’s program in Queensland. However, just registering is not enough to secure your wishes, Dr Wright warns. The final decision to donate depends on the consent of your family or next of kin, so discussing your intention with them is critical.

Planning for alternative arrangements

Institutions accepting body donations will not cover the costs of funeral or memorial services, urns or the collection of ashes, however they will typically pay all expenses related to the donation, and also for a simple cremation or burial of remains later (in some cases, many years later). Which brings Dr Wright to another important issue: only 50-70% of registered donations are accepted at the time of death due to regulations and screening criteria. 

“Since we don’t accept all the donors it can be very emotionally difficult for the family if you are not accepted and have no alternative arrangements in place,” she says. “So, we ask donors to discuss alternative arrangements.”

If you’d like more information about making decisions around end-of-life planning, see this guide to preparing for the inevitable.