Horror as foetal skeletons and real human bones could be 'sold on Instagram, eBay and Etsy'

An MP has raised fears that quality bones specified arsenic a 'foetal skeleton posed nether a solid dome' are capable to beryllium sold astatine auctions and connected societal media sites similar Instagram, eBay and Etsy

An MP has raised fears that quality bones specified arsenic a "foetal skeleton posed nether a solid dome" could beryllium sold astatine auctions and connected societal media sites similar Instagram, eBay and Etsy.

Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy said she has been told astir a ineligible loophole successful the Human Tissues Act that means quality remains are being auctioned, "frequently disguised arsenic modified items oregon replicas". Among them see a quality thigh bony turned into a cane, a quality jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old, with the bones "often from indigenous communities successful Africa and Asia stolen during assemblage expeditions", she said.

The person urged Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner to forestall the merchantability of colonial-era quality remains successful auction houses and societal media. Opening Wednesday's Prime Minister's Questions, Ms Ribeiro-Addy told the Commons: "I precocious met with members of the British Association for Biological Anthropology and Osteoarchaeology who highlighted a loophole successful the Human Tissues Act which allows quality remains to beryllium auctioned, often disguised arsenic modified items oregon replicas.

"This is including a foetal skeleton posed nether a solid dome, a quality thigh bony turned into a cane, a quality jawbone necklace and the varnished skull of a six-year-old, often from indigenous communities successful Africa and Asia stolen during assemblage expeditions. Does the Deputy Prime Minister hold that it is abhorrent for quality remains careless of their root oregon property to beryllium sold by auction houses and connected societal media sites similar Instagram, Facebook, eBay, Etsy and Gumtree?"

Ms Rayner replied: "It's perfectly horrifying to perceive the relationship of what (Ms Ribeiro-Addy) mentions and I perfectly hold that that's abhorrent. And portion the Human Tissue Authority strictly regulates the nationalist show of quality remains, with fines oregon imprisonment for breaches, it does not screen income oregon purchases, however, I volition guarantee that a gathering is made with the due curate to sermon the troubling cases that she raises."

The Human Tissues Act 2004 features a prohibition connected buying and selling quality material, but determination are immoderate exceptions and suppliers tin beryllium reimbursed for expenses connected with transporting, preparing, preserving oregon storing remains. According to BABAO's website, the organisation has a trading and merchantability of quality remains task unit which, among respective aims, looks astatine "the usage of quality remains successful societal media associated with sale, commercialized and collecting".

Many societal media sites including eBay and Etsy prohibit the selling of quality remains. But BABAO has warned that without moderation, immoderate societal media platforms could go "ideal hosts for a wide assortment of illicit activity" with "no effort" made to artifact the aforesaid sellers from resurfacing connected different platforms.