UAB is in compliance with laws governing autopsies and notes important facts and context given the incorrect and misleading assertions that have circulated about autopsies performed for the Alabama Department of Corrections.
- UAB only conducts autopsies after obtaining consent or authorization from the appropriate state official.
- UAB has one of the highest ranked pathology programs in the country. It is accredited by the College of American Pathologists and is staffed by credentialed physicians who are certified by the American Board of Pathology. Its autopsy procedures are conducted in compliance with College of American Pathologists Guidelines. Moreover, a panel of medical ethicists reviewed and endorsed our autopsy protocols.
- The clinical standard for autopsies includes the removal and examination of all major organs. The collection and retention of tissue and fluid specimens is an important aspect of routine autopsy practice and necessary for determining cause of death. In many cases, only fluids for toxicology and other laboratory analyses and small portions of tissues for microscopy are retained. In some cases, however, the pathologist performing the autopsy may, in their professional judgment, determine that evidence-based medicine requires the retention of organs or organ blocks for further examination and testing. These specimens may be kept beyond release of the body to the next‐of‐kin (for burial or other disposition) in the course of customary and optimal determination of the cause of death.
- UAB does not harvest organs from bodies of inmates for research as has been reported in media reports. UAB is among the providers that conduct autopsies at the direction of the State of Alabama. For autopsies conducted for the Alabama Department of Corrections, the ADOC is responsible for obtaining proper authorizations from the appropriate legal representative of the deceased. The authorization forms not only provide permission for the autopsy, but also specifically include consent for the removal of organs or tissues for diagnostic or other testing including final disposition.
- UAB attempts to accommodate family wishes while also ensuring that it conducts a complete cause of death investigation.