# What is the legal status of human remains? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048 "2015-08-27T11:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/1 "2015-08-27T11:34:48Z")
> **[Napoleon had a 'very small' penis according to C4 show](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/napoleon-s-penis-size-confirmed-channel-4-documentary-calls-the-artifact-very-small-9235101.html)** > > The political and military leader was right to have his famous complex I can also recall someone claiming to own a human skull acquired through non nefarious means in real life. What happens when the authorities find one in possession of a human penis or skull or an organ in formaldehyde or something? How easy is it to convince them it was acquired “legally”? ---
**Author:** ![slash2k](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@slash2k](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slash2k)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/2 "2015-08-27T15:45:40Z")
Very much depends on jurisdiction and what you’ve got. For example, the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) criminalizes trafficking human remains that are identifiable as American Indian. On the other hand, my first college roommate, whose father was a dentist or oral surgeon, had a human skull that had been one of Daddy’s study specimens displayed on the shelf next to her desk, and there are [places](http://www.skullsunlimited.com/record_family.php?id=227) that will sell you one. ---
**Author:** ![dolphinboy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dolphinboy/32/330_2.png) [@dolphinboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dolphinboy)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/3 "2015-08-27T16:01:30Z")
If you can show where you got it from, say a purchase receipt, that would be fairly definitive, but if you had some random body parts in your freezer, or human bones that looked or smelled ‘fresh’, that might raise an eyebrow or two. Unless they suspected that you were involved in some nefarious I don’t think the authorities would be too interested in what items you may have in your study… Native American remains notwithstanding. ---
**Author:** ![MrQwertyasd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9d8465/32.png) [@MrQwertyasd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrQwertyasd)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/4 "2015-08-27T18:34:14Z")
\*\*“What is the legal status of human remains?” Fit for consumption only if properly inspected and refrigerated. \*\* ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/5 "2015-08-29T00:56:05Z")
You can buy all sorts of human bones from The Bone Room. [Human skulls start at $1800](http://www.boneroom.com/store/c56/Normal_Human_Skulls.html). > [@](#): > > Human Bone Laws & Information - In short, it is perfectly legal to posses and sell human bones in the United States. There are a few exceptions to this, including a few states where import and export has been banned, and of course, protected archaeological resources covered by the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act. For more information and specifics please visit our [Bone FAQ page](http://www.boneroom.com/store/c83/About_Our_Products.html). > > The Bone Room cannot ship any human bones to the following states: Georgia, Tennessee, New York. > > International restrictions may apply. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/6 "2015-08-29T01:22:08Z")
The legal status of human remains is . . . uh . . . deceased. What does he win, Johnny? ---
**Author:** ![watchwolf49](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e9c0ed/32.png) [@watchwolf49](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/watchwolf49)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-legal-status-of-human-remains/729048/7 "2015-08-29T02:27:04Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > The legal status of human remains is . . . uh . . . deceased. > > What does he win, Johnny? Not sure how 1[sup]st[/sup] Amendment rights apply to the dead.