Fill out this form to email this article to a friend
States tighten autopsy photo laws
Associated Press
Published December 1, 2005
COLUMBUS, Ohio - Connie Ayres lost her 16-year-old daughter in a car crash in 1996. The next year she learned that a county morgue was using the autopsy photos in a slide show to help fight drunken driving.
Ayres since fought successfully for restrictions - passed last year - on the display of autopsy photos in Michigan.
At least 10 states have enacted laws in recent years to prohibit coroners from releasing pictures or other death records.
The new laws were prompted in part by a legal battle in Florida over autopsy photos of NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, who was killed in a crash in 2001. Several newspapers sought the pictures. Ultimately, Florida passed a law blocking public access to autopsy photos.
Open-records advocates say keeping the records available to the public is crucial.
Texas banned the release of autopsy photos in 1999; several other states have since followed suit.
In September, North Carolina restricted access to photos and recordings from autopsies. Delaware, Georgia, Iowa, North Dakota, South Carolina and Tennessee have also enacted restrictions regarding autopsy photos and other records.
[Last modified December 1, 2005, 01:08:09]
Share your thoughts on this story
|
News
Fifty years ago, they were screwed-up kids sent to the Florida School for Boys to be straightened out. But now they are screwed-up men, scarred by the whippings they endured. Read the story and see a video and portrait gallery.
Print
Email story
Comment
Email editor
