US medical examiners can keep organs from dead bodies, NY court rules — RT USA

Grave concern: US medical examiners can keep organs from dead bodies, NY court rules — RT USA



Medical examiners don't have to return all organs from autopsied bodies to the deceased person's family, New York's Appeals Court ruled on Wednesday. The decision also added that it is not necessary to inform relatives if any body parts are missing.



A verdict allowing city coroners to return the body with missing organs for burial after performing an autopsy was ruled on in New York, AP reported. The appeals court had reversed a lower court's decision, which involved a family who unknowingly buried their son with parts of his body missing.



"There is simply no legal directive that requires a medical examiner to return organs or tissue samples derived from a lawful autopsy and retained by the medical examiner after such an autopsy," NY Daily News quoted Judge Eugene Pigott as saying.



Medical examiners have discretion to tell families whether they've removed and kept any body parts, but will not face any liability if they opt not to warn relatives, the court of appeals said.