Beyond permission: Reconsidering anatomy education through a contemporary Islamic fatwa in Türkiye

Abstract

Abstract The ethical use of human body donors in anatomy education is shaped by scientific and professional standards as well as cultural, societal, and religious contexts. In Türkiye, body donation remains limited, and anatomical institutions continue to rely partly on unclaimed and imported bodies, within a setting shaped by legal, cultural, and religious considerations. In December 2025, the High Board of Religious Affairs under the Presidency of Religious Affairs in Türkiye issued a religious ruling (fatwa) defining conditions under which the use of human bodies for medical education is permissible. This viewpoint examines the implications of these conditions for contemporary anatomical practice. Particular attention is given to the presumed equivalence between donor‐based and simulation‐based education, the boundary between education and research, the financial dimensions of body donation, and the relational and postmortem responsibilities associated with donor care. Some conditions introduce practical and conceptual challenges. Others converge with emerging international ethical perspectives that emphasize informed and relational consent, non‐commercialization, donor dignity, and continuity of care. The fatwa provides an opportunity to reconsider anatomical practice within its broader ethical, cultural, and postmortem context.