The Last Act of Defiance Against Death: An explanation about my sister and mother’s decision to donate their bodies to science

This year has been a bad one for us Iranians, and it still is. We carry heavy griefs, eyes shed blood, and hearts are filled with sorrow.

We are immersed in collective mourning and shared loss, and perhaps in such circumstances, writing about personal grief doesn’t have much place.

This year, I lost several dear ones. My wife’s father, several beloved and old friends, and also, over the past two months, my sister and my mother left me.

Naturally, like all Iranians — and especially those who, alongside collective calamity, have experienced personal departures — I am not well, and that may be why my writings these days are more scattered than before.

But there was one point that some friends have asked about during this time, and I think I should respond to it to the best of my ability: the decision by Nazila and my mother to donate their bodies after death for medical research to the university.

We respected their will and wish and carried it out. But perhaps you have questions about this choice.

Regarding the importance of this decision, we must look at the process of scientific development. Every treatment that saves a life today, every understanding we have about the body and the behaviour of diseases that allows us today to cure an illness or relieve pain, every successful organ transplant and every successful surgery stands on the shoulders of an army of nameless, unsung heroes who placed their bodies at the disposal of researchers. It was through studying these departed that they could uncover the secrets of life and become better equipped to face the eternal struggle between life and death.

You and I, and many others who, thanks to medical scientists, have been able to overcome a once-fatal disease — without knowing it — are indebted to dear ones who did not allow their story to end with death and connected their journey to a path that helps others.

Right now, in this emotional state, I may not have the strength to write about the glorious, detailed history of bodies donated to science. Still, if you are interested, the book below is an engaging guide on the subject. Don’t worry: although it deals with an apparently sombre topic, it tells the story of these heroes in cheerful, lighthearted, realistic language, and it reads fluently, making it enjoyable for everyone.

Mary Roach is a gifted journalist who wrote the book Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, narrating this important story in an accessible and lively way for the general public.

Of course, there are more precise scientific sources on the topic, but — at least based on what I know — this book is a good entry point.

A non-personal decision

But there is a story here that goes beyond the deceased individual, the scientific importance, and the value of the act. Throughout history, across various cultures and traditions, humans have — based on their experiences — created ways, rituals, and customs to honour, commemorate, bury, and mourn the departed. These are not merely symbolic or meaningless rituals; they are responses to the survivors’ need to bring a long and cherished relationship to a close.

The process of burial or any handling of bodily remains — whether placing them in an ossuary in the Zoroastrian tradition, cremation, or interment — is part of the rituals that, for those who have lived in that culture and based on historical experience, form part of the mourning process and accepting continued life without loved ones. These ceremonies are as much about honouring the departed as about helping the survivors go on living.

When you intend to carry out such a decision, you necessarily distance yourself from that part of the soothing and healing spiritual process and lose the possibility of participating in it. There is no longer a gravestone, nor the mourning traditions tied to burial (or similar practices).

And this is a story that can be difficult and suffocating for survivors — even if they have intellectually accepted it — and can disrupt their emotional and psychological healing process.

For this reason, those who make such a decision must discuss it with their family well in advance. And even more importantly, if you are a survivor whose loved one left such a will, remember that in the end, you must also factor your own mental health into the final decision. Do not be afraid or ashamed if you realize you do not have the capacity to carry it out — this is not breaking a promise or violating an oath.

Also, naturally, because this practice is not yet very common, it may sometimes be treated as taboo. People who are not aware of the importance and process of this decision may accuse survivors of heartlessness, betrayal, or disrespect toward the bodies of the deceased. They may consider such an act wrong due to religious beliefs and place the heavy burden of their judgment on the already exhausted shoulders of the bereaved.

If you are in the position of carrying out such a decision, know that you will sometimes face these reactions. And if you are someone who — for any reason — thinks such a decision was wrong, perhaps it is better to keep that concern somewhat to yourself and not add to the grief and mourning burden of people who are facing the hardest days of their lives and one of the hardest decisions of their lives. Rest assured that they have thought about this far more than you and have wrestled with it more deeply.

The process and procedure of body donation to science in Iran

The decision to donate one’s body after death is a choice that must be made during one’s lifetime with full awareness. In Iran, this act is usually known as “donation of educational cadaver” and has a clear, official path. One of the main sources of information and action is the website of the Research Center of the Legal Medicine Organization of the country, specifically its “Educational Cadaver Unit” section, where it explains why anatomy education without real specimens is not possible and how to submit a request.

If a person wishes to formalize this decision during their lifetime, the same website has a section titled “Registration for Cadaver Donation Card” that explains step by step which forms must be completed, what documents are required (including copies of identity documents and a photo), and how to contact the relevant unit. In the official description of the process, one point is explicitly emphasized: first-degree relatives must be aware of and consent to the donation decision. This is not merely an ethical recommendation; it is part of the executive process.

Nevertheless, even official registration or having a donation card does not guarantee acceptance of the body after death. In practice, after the person’s passing, carrying out the donation depends on explicit, informed, written consent from first-degree relatives, and medical and operational conditions are also reviewed. The presence of certain specific infectious diseases, severe damage from accidents or extensive burns, major surgeries with significant limb loss, or deep bedsores can be reasons why a university or receiving institution declines the cadaver. Ultimately, the final decision on acceptance or rejection rests with the scientific and specialized committee of the responsible institution.

If accepted, the cadaver is placed at the university’s disposal for an educational period. After that period ends, in accordance with announced regulations, the remains are respectfully buried with the family’s knowledge and coordination. Some medical universities have also published their own independent guidelines on this, which can be useful for initial familiarization, though the specific details may vary by city and university.

Also, at the end of the educational period, in accordance with announced regulations, the center conducts a “respectful burial ceremony” with the family’s knowledge and coordination.

One thing that should not be overlooked is that these rules and details differ across countries; even within a single country, there may be differences between provinces or states. Therefore, if someone lives outside Iran or intends to make such a decision in another country, the best starting point is a targeted search — for example, with keywords such as

“body donation to science + country/province/city name” or “body donation program” or “Donating body to science” and then rely only on official sources from universities, health institutions, or government websites, because acceptance conditions, the role of the family, timing, and consent forms can differ fundamentally.

Nazila and my mother made this decision with full awareness of these matters, and we — accepting the emotional and psychological difficulties, accepting that this choice is not acceptable to many people, yet hoping that their blessings would continue even after their blessed lives — carried it out.

But this is not a decision that I or anyone else invites you to make or not make. It is a real decision with its own consequences, and only the family members and the individual themselves must reach an understanding about it.

A word to researchers and students

These few sentences are a request to researchers and investigators.

You who today, in dissection rooms and studies, carefully examine the bodies of the departed to learn and open new paths for the future: know that the limb before you belonged to a dear person who remained in the service of humanity not only in life but also in death.

Do not take this last human act lightly, standing before you. When you stand over a body, clear your mind of everything except the desire to know and to reduce the suffering of other people, and bring your best intellectual and physical effort to bear so that — by studying this dear body that once hosted a dear soul — you open a path toward human good.

Treat those departed with respect and strive, to the best of your ability, to play a role in this historic battle of life against death, just as these dear bodies played their role even after their lives ended.