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Autopsies vs. The Sacred

Karol Franks via Flickr

Mon. 04/13 11a: In February, the families of Autumn Irene Martineau (Fond du Lac) and Mushkoob Aubid (Mille Lac) successfully fought to keep their deceased loved ones from undergoing autopsies. According to the families, autopsies would have violated their religious and cultural practices. Minnesota state lawmakers are now considering legislation that would allow religious objections to autopsies. In some cultures, autopsies are considered a spiritual violation and a disruption to the grieving process. In other cultures, autopsies are viewed as a way to provide valuable information and bring people to justice. Do autopsies go against your values and traditions? Should families be required to compromise their values and allow an autopsy when there are unanswered questions about why a person died?

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  • Many jurisdictions have stopped doing autopsies on people who died over the age of 60, unless it was obvious that a violent death occurred. A lack of resources, both financial and staffing, is often blamed.
  • Autopsies are conducted on just 5 percent of patients who die in hospitals, and experts say that is a troubling trend that has broad implications for public health in America: Death certificates aren't as accurate as they could be, and that information drives research dollars and public health spending.