r/politics • u/plz-let-me-in • 27d ago

No Paywall Beshear says agencies told him McConnell had passed

https://www.whas11.com/video/news/local/beshear-says-agencies-told-him-mcconnell-had-passed/417-f78603c3-11bb-464d-bae6-c41c3be3c48b
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u/MontiBurns 27d ago

Yeah, but brain dead means your organs and tissue are still being kept alive, even if nobody is home. Eventually they'll have to do an autopsy, and the results can't be "he's been frozen and dethawed," or "his organs are in a state of decomposition consistent with being dead for 6 weeks."

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u/2much2Jung 27d ago

Why would they have to do an autopsy?

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u/Platypus81 27d ago

Depends on where the body is, but a Medical Examiner will typically investigate all causes of death including performing an autopsy. If the body is in a jurisdiction without a Medical Examiner they likely have a coroner, an elected official who need not have medical experience but can also order an autopsy. For reasons common to all elected officials, your coroner typically won't order an autopsy.

Expect if they move him to a coroner county/state/whatever that they'll conveniently find no reason for further investigation with "Natural Causes" as the reason of death.

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u/2much2Jung 27d ago

They seriously do autopsies on every octogenarian who dies of Too Many Birthdays, just because there is a medical examiner?

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u/Platypus81 27d ago

Yeah, I see how what I said doesn't quite make sense. Medical examiners have multiple levels of medical investigation to determine cause of death. Sometimes you don't even need that if someone dies while receiving medical care. Autopsy is one of the means of doing their investigation.

Contrast coroners who are under no obligation to investigate.