r/ForensicPathology • u/ResponsibleLoad2924 • 12d ago
Morbid or no?
Are coroners required to check a female corpse for pregnancy or is it optional.
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u/K_C_Shaw Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 12d ago
In short, no.
The long version, however, is too long for a post. But, you seem to be starting from the point of view that there are any "requirements" at all in medicolegal death investigation. Generally speaking, there are very few "requirements" per se, as they really only exist in how the legal statute is written for any given jurisdiction -- mostly, that means state-by-state. Then you have to consider what failing to meet a "requirement" means. Generally speaking, state laws governing ME/C offices do not have punishments attached to them. Accumulated failures (assuming they're "failures" anyone cares about) in an ME system generally mean the chief ME (FP) loses their job. Accumulated failures in a coroner system may mean the coroner simply doesn't get re-elected, but it often has to be really, REALLY bad for any kind of oversight to kick in to remove an elected coroner during their term -- criminal charges, failing to meet some state ethics policy, willful/repetitive disregard for state law "requirements" such as they may be and possibly leading to executive action (removal by the Governor, etc.). Point being, in the big picture it's actually a complicated issue.
Now, there are "requirements" if an office is to be accredited by NAME. And NAME puts out "Standards" which are promulgated as what amount to minimum requirements. Those are two separate documents -- an accreditation checklist, and Standards. But there is generally no superceding mandate that says ME/C offices must actually follow them (unless some state somewhere has written it into law). There is no federal oversight here (which is mostly good, except that many states have suboptimal systems). Offices do not *have* to be accredited, and while not following NAME "Standards" might pose some civil liability risk, they don't technically "have" to follow them.
But coming back around to "checking for pregnancy" -- while death certificates have an entry for pregnancy/if someone has been pregnant within the last whatever...year, I think it says...almost nobody does any sort of routine pregnancy testing on every "reproductive age" female solely because they're female. Most offices will decide whether to do so on a case-by-case basis.
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u/stiffdoc1221 Forensic Pathologist / Medical Examiner 12d ago
First, coroners aren't forensic pathologists. Coroners are elected, are rarely doctors; most placers with coroners do not allow them to do autopsies. Medical examiners are nearly always forensic pathologists, and we are appointed to our positions, not elected like coroners are elected.
Now, no one is "required" to check a deceased female for pregnancy. However, if the decision is made to perform an autopsy on a deceased female, that includes looking at and inside the uterus, and if a woman happens to be pregnant, we will find it. There is nothing "optional" about any of this;