Can you request no post-mortem?
If someone related to you has died and their death has been referred to a coroner, you won’t be asked to give consent (permission) for a post-mortem to take place. This is because the coroner is required by law to carry out a post-mortem when a death is suspicious, sudden or unnatural.
Can you refuse a post-mortem UK?
If a post mortem is requested by the hospital, written consent must first be obtained either directly from the patient before death, or from the deceased’s next of kin. The patient or the next of kin can refuse consent for a hospital post mortem and it cannot be carried out if consent is withheld.
Is it compulsory to do post-mortem?
As per legal provisions, there is no need to do a postmortem to know the cause of death in most cases.
Who decides if a post-mortem is needed?
The coroner
The coroner may decide a post-mortem is needed to find out how the person died. This can be done either in a hospital or mortuary. You cannot object to a coroner’s post-mortem – but if you’ve asked the coroner must tell you (and the person’s GP) when and where the examination will take place.
Can I refuse an autopsy?
Yes, an autopsy can be ordered by authorities without relatives’ consent in several situations. If an autopsy is not required by law or ordered by authorities, the deceased person’s next of kin must give permission for an autopsy to be performed.
What happens if a post mortem is inconclusive?
If the post mortem shows an unnatural cause of death, or if the cause of death is not found at the initial examination, the Coroner will open an investigation or inquest. They will also need to do this if the deceased died in custody or otherwise in the care of the State.
What causes an autopsy to be inconclusive?
Therefore, when an autopsy is ruled inconclusive, as in Laundrie’s case, it means that the internal and external tests performed did not provide a clear cause of death. Unlike the results of Laundrie’s initial autopsy, the results of Petito’s autopsy were conclusive.