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The Tennessean Getting to the Truth about a Child's Death No child's death should leave unanswered questions. Metro Medical Examiner Dr. Bruce Levy's call for a state law that would
require autopsies on every child who dies under unexplained circumstances
addresses an important need. Autopsies answer unresolved issues surrounding deaths in all sorts of situations. While the procedure itself may raise unsettling emotions, particularly when a child is involved, few can doubt the forensic value of the process. No grief is greater than that for a child. Levy understands that, but the issue should be driven by facts, not emotion. Several unexplained infants deaths which were initially attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome have been later found to be caused by crime or accident. If questions about the cause of a child's death aren't resolved medically, that child's siblings and other children could also be at danger. Levy first proposed the law in 1997, but it got nowhere in the legislature, whose members have been concerned about the sensitivity of the matter. In addition to the call for autopsies, Levy calls for more training among emergency workers, a system for answering more questions about circumstances surrounding a child's death and more detailed evidence in the record. Questions that have arisen over two recent childhood deaths have heightened attention to the issue. Without an autopsy, many crucial pieces of information can be overlooked. Under such a law, counties would need to rely on the state to help cover the expense of the procedures, but it is estimated the cost would be less than $100,000 a year. Currently, only a county's district attorney general or medical examiner can determine whether an autopsy is necessary. Levy's proposal would make autopsies mandatory when uncertainties remain and would allow the state medical examiner to set minimum standards. Levy, who also serves as state medical examiner, says he is using his "bully pulpit" to call attention to the problem. His effort is exactly the sort of leadership the state needs to see. Often authorities are left to speculate on causes of death among children when more scientific information may be available. The National Institutes of Health calls for an autopsy and a review of a child's medical history before attributing a death to SIDS. But last year, nine of the 76 cases of child deaths blamed on SIDS in Tennessee had no autopsies. Granted, families who experience the trauma of the death of an infant or child need compassion. Many of those families, in their grief, would object to an invasive procedure. But in the long run, both the families and the state would benefit by
knowing the exact medical cause of death. Levy raises a valid issue. The
state should move forward toward required autopsies on children when circumstances
raise key questions. No one should shy away from the truth. |
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