Harvard Morgue Manager Sentenced to 8 Years for Selling Remains

Was this crime the action of one rogue employee, or the result of institutional failures at Harvard?

Published 5 hours ago

Harvard Morgue Manager Sentenced to 8 Years for Selling Remains

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Above: Harvard Medical School in Boston, Mass. on Dec. 1, 2024. Image credit: Plexi Images/GHI/UCG/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

The Spin

Narrative A

As the evidence has made clear, in committing these reprehensible crimes, Lodge acted alone, without the permission or knowledge of anyone at the medical school. This betrayal, therefore, is not indicative of any institutional failure on Harvard Medical School's part but an indictment of Lodge's character, which Harvard has sought to correct by supporting donor families.

Harvard Medical School

Narrative B

Harvard failed miserably to protect the donated remains under its care and looked the other way for years despite mounting red flags. Even with its duty to respect the dignity of the dead, Harvard had little to no controls in place to prevent this harm from occurring. The families affected by Lodge's crime, therefore, deserve to know how Harvard allowed this to happen.

Mario Nawfal on X Justia Law