By Jhoo Dong-chan
Dissections of unclaimed corpses for academic or research purposes would be banned according to a proposal headed for the National Assembly.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Cabinet approved a revision bill Tuesday banning dissection of unclaimed bodies.
The bill will be submitted to the Assembly this month. If it is approved, the bill will take effect within six months.
Under the current law, local governments can donate unclaimed corpses to hospitals for education and research.
However, civic groups have long claimed that it is a violation of human rights.
If the revision bill is passed, every unclaimed corpse will be buried or cremated.
Hospitals are concerned about the measure because they are already experiencing a shortage of cadavers.
“Many medical schools across the country are having difficulty finding cadavers for dissection classes,” a surgeon at a university hospital said.