Chinese Corpses Still on Display in the U.S.
Pennsylvania Legislators Debate Law to Ensure No Exhibits of Cadavers Without Consent
But company officials said that Pennsylvanians should have the right to make their own decisions about whether or not to go and see the exhibits.
Brian Wainger, Premier's general counsel, testified before the committee that while it was impossible to prove that none of the bodies were from executed prisoners, the company's supplier in China, Sui Hongjin, "absolutely categorically denied that he has ever seen those photos or that he has ever supplied to Premier any specimens with evidence of trauma or bodily injury."
Wainger dismissed the 20/20 report as "sensational" but added, "We cannot be 100 percent sure that a liver didn't come from the body of an executed prisoner. What we can do is rely on credible people who are associated with credible universities and institutions."
Walter Hoffman, Montgomery County coroner, who has worked with Premier to examine the plastinated bodies upon their arrival in the United States, defended the company at the hearing. "I can reiterate that none of the 50 or 60 bodies I examined had any evidence of injury, torture, or abuse," he said.
In an interview for 20/20 in February, former Premier Chairman Arnie Geller, who resigned following the report, told ABC News he was appalled at the allegations that some of the bodies from his Chinese suppliers might be those of executed prisoners.
He said his own medical staff had seen no such evidence and that his suppliers have assured him that "these are all legitimate, unclaimed bodies that have gone through Dalian Medical University."
In the wake of the 20/20 report, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched his own investigation and found that Premier could not prove that the bodies on display were not those of executed prisoners. Cuomo and Premier reached a settlement that requires the company post a disclaimer at its New York exhibit and on the exhibit's website stating the attorney general's finding. The settlement also requires that the company obtain documentation "demonstrating the cause of death and origins of the cadavers" as well as written consent from the donors. [Click here to read Blotter coverage of the settlement]