Most people understand that autopsies are performed to determine the cause of death. They assume that this has some medical value. Actually, unless requested by a doctor or an individual, autopsies are not performed for any medical reason whatsoever. Autopsies are performed to determine if criminal neglect was the cause of death, or to determine if a crime was committed. The chief medical examiner submits his autopsy report to the state's attorney general where it is filed for use by lawyers should some legality arise.
Maryland state law (Article 5-309) and the laws of most other states give the medical examiner permission to autopsy any person who dies when not under the care of a physician. This includes people who die in their sleep, by violence, suicide, accident, fire, drowning, or disease. Even if you die in a hospital while under a doctor's care, you may be autopsied. The law requires hospitals to autopsy 25% of the deaths which occur in hospitals to maintain their credentials. At least, a hospital will ask for permission to do an autopsy. The medical examiner does not need your permission, and in most cases the next of kin will not ever know that an autopsy was performed.
Maryland state law allows a person to object to an autopsy for religious reasons; however, few people know this. Even if you know the law, and you do object, the medical examiner can override your objection if he thinks there is just cause.
The laws on autopsy in Maryland are written so loosely that the state's medical examiner has full authority to determine who he, or she, will autopsy, how or where the autopsy will be performed, and what is done with the body parts after they are removed. Up until about five years ago, Maryland either incinerated the body parts or sent them to the county dump. The District of Columbia and a New Jersey medical examiner have been charged with distributing body parts to universities and research institutions without permission from the deceased or the next of kin.
Most medical examiners are affiliated with universities in one way or another, and they are expected to provide body parts to the universities in return for high-paid professorships. The latest suggestion from research personnel is to remove eggs from female corpses and to fertilize them with the sperm from male corpses in a petri dish to study fetal development. This is also being considered for gene research, and it can be assumed that such things have already been done.
This is a terrible violation of a person's privacy. It is wrong, yet there is no law to protect a person after death. Presently, the only protection we have against this abuse is to object on religious grounds. I consequently request that the United Methodist Church go on record to support those of us who would object to an autopsy on religious grounds.
General Conference Webmaster: Susan Brumbaugh
PETS Creator: John Brawn
Petition Text: 20004-CS-NonDis-O
1996 United Methodist General Conference