HARRISBURG -- More lawmakers have joined state Rep. Mike Fleck's call for regulating the use of cadavers in for-profit exhibitions such as "Bodies ... The Exhibition," now showing at Carnegie Science Center.

One representative, Karen Beyer, R-Lehigh, wants to go a step further and block state funding to groups that commercially exhibit human bodies without written consent of the deceased or their next of kin.

"This is exploitation of the human body for entertainment purposes," Ms. Beyer said.

She wants to expedite passage of the bill so there is time before the June 30 budget deadline to adjust allocations to organizations that don't comply with the regulations.

The Carnegie museums received about $256,000 in state funding for the science center this year.

Eight other lawmakers joined Ms. Beyer and Mr. Fleck at a news conference yesterday.

Rep. Brad Roae, R-Crawford, referred to the displays as "sick exhibits," while others said the displays have educational value but were concerned about exploitation without consent of the deceased.

Rep. Marguerite Quinn, R-Bucks, gave permission a few years ago for her daughter, a prospective medical student, to visit a Philadelphia exhibit that included plasticized cadavers.

"I did not view it as a sick exhibition. The idea skeeves me, but it has an educational purpose," said Ms. Quinn, who says that at the time she didn't consider where the corpses came from.

"From an educational point of view, I can see merit. I'm not standing up for barring all [these types of] exhibits, but I have got concerns over where the bodies are coming from and if there was consent given," she said.

Lawmakers raised suspicions that some of the bodies used in the exhibitions may be those of Chinese dissidents killed for their political and religious views.

Premier Exhibitions of Atlanta, promoter of the Carnegie Science Center show, has said the corpses were legally obtained in China, and that the people died of natural causes.

The science center stands by the exhibit, too.

"It's proven itself to be valuable for visitors of all ages and certainly is doing a large part in furthering the general public's understanding of health and wellness and the human body," said science center director Joanna Haas.

More than 180,000 people have visited since the exhibition opened in October, she said.

She declined to say how much it cost to bring the exhibit to Pittsburgh, except to say it is expensive.

"We have hosted this exhibition absolutely in line with existing state and federal guidelines. If that landscape changes, we'll continue to evaluate the situation and act accordingly," Ms. Haas said. "We certainly believe it's the Pennsylvania Legislature's right to legislate the use of human bodies and to create structures for such exhibits. We would certainly intend to comply with any legislative parameters that may be put into place."

The exhibit includes bodies that are flayed and posed, one clutching a tennis racket, another diving for a soccer ball. One display puts the blackened lung of a smoker side-by-side with a healthy lung.

Mr. Fleck's bill would require permits from host counties before similar cadaver shows could open in the future. It provides exemptions for cadavers used for medical or scientific research, for funeral viewing and for the historical display of remains more than a century old.

His bill has about 50 sponsors.