Your family has no right to your body parts

Since I am spiritual, I do not believe that the destination of the physical body after death is important. It can be buried, burned, tosses at sea, or donated to science. However, in a recent ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court, family members who's loved ones have gone under autopsy have no legal right to body organs after testing.

See article:
Dayton Daily News

In about 5 percent of autopsies, brains are removed, hung upside down in a large container of fixing solution for up to six weeks, and then dissected after they've hardened. Dissection of the brain can yield information about tumors, strokes or contusions that may have led to death.

The bodies are sometimes returned to the next-of-kin without the brains or other tissues. That material is discarded as medical waste.

While I understand the importance of medical examiners to be able to retain organs for testing, I also believe that a persons family does have the right to claim those organs, to be able to put them to rest as a whole with the deceased.

What gives the state the right to claim ownership of body parts and then discard them as nothing more than just something like "fat trimmings"?

This to me is somewhat disturbing.

reply to post by ben91069


Because it's considered medical waste.

Do you ask your doctor to keep the needle used to give you your vaccinations?

Nice article here talking about why


I, too, am spiritual and could care less what happens with my body. it's my body. But since courts cannot rule against a religious belief in this manner, how can they allow ownership over your body to be passed to your family?

Its a very touchy subject, and though my opinion differs from yours, i would like to learn a little more about it, and what parts of law say they can do this.

Since it's a law, it doesnt always make it 'acceptable'
but still makes it a law.


Furthermore, if you're a religious person, its safe to assume that most of your family is too? Atleast the ones closest to you. I can only speak for Christians (because i am one)

Christians don't view the body as the "person"
its the spirit that counts. AKA your spirit is "you" and your body is a tool used by your spirit (mind v.s. brain)

So if you're dead, and your spirit ascends to heaven, why would you even care about holding on to the brain? The brain doesnt make the person who they are. Its just a big hard drive.