Donating Your Body for Scientific Research

Before death and cremations as part of the cremation services offered in Beltsville, MD, you may decide that you want to donate your body for scientific research, in the hope that your donation may help people in the future, as researchers look for clues and solutions to many medical issues, problems, and diseases using whole body donations.

If you decide that you want to donate your body for scientific research, make sure that your family knows your wishes and be sure to write it in the final instructions for your life.

Next, you’ll want to do some legwork to find out how the body donation process works, what you need to do in advance, and to decide where you want your body to be donated. It’s important to remember that there may be some cases where your body is not eligible for donation, so make sure you have a backup plan in place for your family if that’s the case so that they will know what you want done.

The first part of donating your body for scientific research is finding the organization that you want to donate your body to. Most universities with medical schools have whole body donation programs. There are also some non-academic organizations that accept whole body donations. Look online to see what universities and organizations in your local area will take bodies donated for scientific research.

Once you find the academic and private organizations that you’re interested in donating your body to after you die, contact them and pre-register with them for whole body donation. The reason you want to have several possible places to donate your body to is that while one organization may not accept the donation, another one might.

Each organization that accepts whole body donations after death has different criteria that determines whether they can accept the donations. So, by pre-registering with several of them, you have a better possibility of one of them accepting your donation.

After you’ve pre-registered with the academic institutions and private organizations that you want to donate your body to, be sure to find out what your family and you are obligated for by participating in their program. Most body donation programs will pay for transportation from the funeral home to their location and for cremation after your body has been processed for research, but you need to make sure that is the case.

Be sure that your family knows about your wish to have your body donated to science. Your loved ones may have envisioned a funeral with a burial (which can still be done with your cremated remains) or some other type of funeral, and they may need some time to adjust to what you desire to do with your body after you die.

Make sure that all your legal paperwork includes your desire to have your body donated for scientific research after you die. This can be part of your advanced directive, your will, or your revocable trust.

Always make sure that you have a backup plan included in your final wishes in the event that the academic institutions and private organizations you’ve registered with can’t accept your body for their donation programs. This could include direct cremation or a funeral service followed by cremation.

If you want information about the cremation services offered in Beltsville, MD, you can talk with our expert staff at Donald V. Borgwardt Funeral Home, P.A. You can drop by our funeral home at 4400 Powder Mill Rd., Beltsville, MD, 20705, or you can contact us today at (301) 937-1707.