“Ohio Court Debates Rights to Body Parts”
Howard Bashman reports on the ruling and links to various case resources on his How Appealing blog. The AP report begins:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — During an autopsy, the Hamilton County coroner removed Christopher Albrecht’s brain and never put it back — a common practice for coroners.
But when Albrecht’s parents learned years later that they had buried him without a brain, they filed a lawsuit that raises ethical, moral and religious questions about the treatment of one’s body after death.
The case, to be argued Wednesday before the Ohio Supreme Court, has drawn international attention for its ramifications to coroners, crime investigators, EMTs, funeral directors and followers of religions that espouse the importance of burying the whole body.