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by Frank D. Allan

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds that an autopsy may be performed if the family of the deceased gives consent and if the autopsy complies with the law of the community. The purpose of an autopsy is, where possible, to examine the results of trauma or disease recorded in the vital organs of the body so as to define the specific cause of death for the family, the community, and the professionals who attended the deceased. It also permits the training and instruction of those who continue the search for better ways of coping with disease. It is one of the methods whereby both those who die and those who examine them contribute to improving the quality of life and health of their fellow human beings.

(See Daily Living home page; Attitudes Toward Health, Medicine, and Fitness home page)

Encyclopedia of Mormonism, Vol. 1, Autopsy

Copyright © 1992 by Macmillan Publishing Company