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'Bodies' Exhibit Draws Controversy, People

Long Lines Await Exhibition At Carnegie Science Center

POSTED: 6:19 pm EST February 16, 2008
UPDATED: 8:25 pm EST February 16, 2008

"Bodies: The Exhibition" is a wildly popular exhibit wrapped in controversy, and it has been on display in Pittsburgh since October.

Now, administrators at the Carnegie Science Center defended their decision to bring the exhibit to town, just one day after an ABC News report raised more questions about the bodies and where they come from.

"The report didn't really shed any light on new areas of controversy," said CSC Executive Director Joanna Haas.

ABC's "20/20" report suggested some bodies used in exhibits across the country like "Bodies" could belong to executed Chinese prisoners.

After watching the investigative story, an advisory group at CSC met Friday night.

"(We) had a conversation about what we had seen, and (we) all collectively remained committed to the fact that this is a powerful exhibition offering people of western Pennsylvania -- people of all ages -- the opportunity to learn more about their bodies," Haas said.

She said they have legal documents that show the cadavers used here are unclaimed corpses, and they are not part of a "black market" that supplies bodies, as the report suggested.

A day after the story aired, it appears more may be drawn to the controversy behind the show.

Long lines wrapped around the exhibition.

"I wanted to come down to see what this was all about, and I think it was interesting," Peter Venturini, of Norton, Ohio, said.

Many who watched the report and took a closer look at the exhibit said there was no real definite answer as to whether the bodies belonged to executed criminals.

"I don't know; I don't know. I'm going to wait to form an opinion of that," Deb Yost, of Kittanning, Pa., said.

"I would doubt they are executed criminals. A lot of these show diseased lungs, diseased kidneys and things like that," Robert Walls, of Youngstown, Ohio, said.

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