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HR0328 |
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LRB095 11694 MJR 34151 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Several religious groups, including members of |
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| the Jewish faith, oppose autopsy for religious reasons; and
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| WHEREAS, Several states have adopted laws that protect |
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| those sincerely held religious beliefs and forbid autopsies |
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| over the religious objection of the decedent's family or |
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| friends except in cases of compelling public necessity; and
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| WHEREAS, The Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners |
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| Association has voluntarily decided to adopt a protocol that |
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| outlines how they shall ensure religious and cultural |
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| sensitivity for the deceased and their families that includes |
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| the following: |
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| (1) If the coroner or medical examiner has reason to |
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| believe that such action would be contrary to the religious |
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| beliefs of the decedent, dissection or autopsy shall not be |
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| performed, nor a collection off toxicology samples drawn; |
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| (2) In cases of presumed or actual objection and the |
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| coroner or medical examiner concludes that the autopsy is a |
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| compelling public necessity, the coroner or medical |
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| examiner shall wait 48 hours before performing the autopsy; |
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| During this period the coroner or medical examiner shall |
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| exercise due diligence to contact the deceased person's |
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| relatives; |
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HR0328 |
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LRB095 11694 MJR 34151 r |
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| (3) In cases of compelling public necessity, the |
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| autopsy shall be performed in the least intrusive manner |
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| possible respecting religious traditions, and all blood, |
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| organs, parts, and tissues shall be released as soon as |
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| possible to the person who has custody of the body for |
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| burial; |
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| (4) After an inquest, the coroner shall make reasonable |
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| effort to deliver any tissue samples, blood, organs, or |
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| other parts of the decedent that were removed to the person |
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| responsible for the burial of the decedent as soon as is |
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| practicable; The person responsible for the burial shall |
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| remain in contact with the coroner or medical examiner |
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| performing the inquest in order to ensure that this occurs; |
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| (5) In cases where a coroner or medical examiner |
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| determines that an infant died of Sudden Infant Death |
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| Syndrome, the coroner or medical examiner shall not take |
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| tissue samples for research purposes if the parents object |
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| on grounds that such procedure conflicts with their |
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| religious beliefs; and |
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| (6) A presentation by Agudath Israel on religious |
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| sensitivity to death and autopsy in Judaism shall be |
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| incorporated into the continuing education classes of the |
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| Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners employees; |
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| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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HR0328 |
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LRB095 11694 MJR 34151 r |
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| NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| the House of Representatives commends the efforts of the |
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| Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners Association to respect |
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| the religious and cultural beliefs of the citizens of the State |
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| of Illinois; and be it further
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| RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution shall be sent to |
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| the Illinois Coroners and Medical Examiners Association.
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