Body Donors Pick Their Poses for Plastination Exhibit

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Some of the donors see plastination as way of avoiding the costs of an expensive funeral, burial or cremation. Many of them view it as more "useful" than a traditional burial.

(ABC News)
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"Being a donor is constructive, educational and useful. Why wouldn't anybody want to be on display?" asked Lynn Kuratomi, a 46-year-old mother from California.

Kuratomi is a Japanese-American Buddhist. "In my culture, it's about what you make of your life now," she said, but added that her husband and son are not in favor of her decision to be put on display after she passes away.

Michael Wright, 46, is a Methodist, and said being displayed in von Hagens' exhibit does not go against his religion in any way either.

"What greater thing than to show off God's work?" asked Wright. "There's nothing undignified about it."

Not everyone agrees.

"Turning death into entertainment takes away the dignity and sanctity of the human life that was lived," said Rabbi Louis Feldstein of Atlanta, who spoke out about the bodies exhibits on ABC News "20/20's" report on bodies exhibitions earlier this month.

So far close to 700 Americans have signed up as donors. The United States is second only to Germany, which has about 7,000 donors on the list. A few Americans are already being plastinated, but none are yet on display.

Last year an American man donated the leg he had amputated. The leg is almost ready to be displayed, according to Nadine Diwersi who works with von Hagens.

Diwersi said it takes on average one year to complete a whole body plastinate, but that "it can take [von Hagens] months to position a body before he is satisfied it is ready for display."

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