Funeral home showed pictures of dead boy
A Swedish undertaker used pictures of a dead four-year-old boy during seminars for hospital staff – without the parents’ permission.
Parents Fredrik and Åsa Nydén, who live in Linköping, found out by chance that pictures of their son Oskar were being used by undertaker Magnus Forss of the town's Rosén Funeral Home. The incident came to light when nurses who had cared for the boy told them that Forss had show the pictures at a seminar.
Oskar died of cancer three years ago. The pictures were taken during the funeral, according to Östgöta Correspondenten. They were used in the lecture to demonstrate the difficulties of burying a young child.
“They have taken advantage of us and of our sorrow. It is tasteless and we feel violated,” said Fredrik Nydén to the paper.
The funeral home admitted to the Nydéns that it used pictures of Oskar in seminars.
The couple demanded that undertakers contact the families of the other children whose pictures were also being used. But the undertakers said to do this would “cause too much pain”. The Nydéns were also asked by the funeral home not to contact the press.
The couple contacted the Association of Funeral Homes in Sweden, SBF, demanding 100,000 kronor in compensation.
SBF told the couple that the funeral parlour in question had shown "lack of judgment", but offered them just 10,000 kronor - an offer the family refused. The family went to the press after the undertakers again refused to inform the families of the other children whose photos had been used in the lectures.
The head of SBF, Ulf Lernéus, said that the families of the other children whose photos had been used had now been contacted.
"This is the first time I've heard of anything like this," he said.
The Local has tried to contact Magnus Forss, but has not received a response.
Comments
See Also
Parents Fredrik and Åsa Nydén, who live in Linköping, found out by chance that pictures of their son Oskar were being used by undertaker Magnus Forss of the town's Rosén Funeral Home. The incident came to light when nurses who had cared for the boy told them that Forss had show the pictures at a seminar.
Oskar died of cancer three years ago. The pictures were taken during the funeral, according to Östgöta Correspondenten. They were used in the lecture to demonstrate the difficulties of burying a young child.
“They have taken advantage of us and of our sorrow. It is tasteless and we feel violated,” said Fredrik Nydén to the paper.
The funeral home admitted to the Nydéns that it used pictures of Oskar in seminars.
The couple demanded that undertakers contact the families of the other children whose pictures were also being used. But the undertakers said to do this would “cause too much pain”. The Nydéns were also asked by the funeral home not to contact the press.
The couple contacted the Association of Funeral Homes in Sweden, SBF, demanding 100,000 kronor in compensation.
SBF told the couple that the funeral parlour in question had shown "lack of judgment", but offered them just 10,000 kronor - an offer the family refused. The family went to the press after the undertakers again refused to inform the families of the other children whose photos had been used in the lectures.
The head of SBF, Ulf Lernéus, said that the families of the other children whose photos had been used had now been contacted.
"This is the first time I've heard of anything like this," he said.
The Local has tried to contact Magnus Forss, but has not received a response.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.