The United Synagogue

UNITED SYNAGOGUE TACKLES AUTOPSY DISTRESS

PRESS RELEASE

London,
4th January 2010

UNITED SYNAGOGUE TACKLES AUTOPSY DISTRESS

The distress that autopsies can cause is a growing problem. Autopsies (also known as post-mortems) are potentially traumatic for the relatives of the deceased as well as being prohibited in Jewish Law (halacha) in the majority of cases. With more and more autopsies being required by coroners, the United Synagogue (US) has decided to take action. To reduce the need for autopsies within its communities, the US is working with local hospitals to use their Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners.

Dayan Menachem Gelley, Senior Dayan of the London Beth Din says; "We at the Beth Din have been working with Government for some years to introduce MRI scanning as an alternative to the more invasive autopsy procedure. We therefore fully support this initiative of the United Synagogue Burial Society which is consistent with halacha and allows the deceased's body to be treated with the respect and dignity it merits."

In the last year alone over 80 United Synagogue families have had to deal with the upset of a loved one requiring an autopsy - a number well up on previous years. Melvyn Hartog, Head of Burial at the United Synagogue explains; "When a loved one passes away, the last thing anyone wants to deal with is an autopsy. For many United Synagogue members, the need for an autopsy has made the pain and sadness of bereavement immeasurably worse."

The good news is that coroners are now able, in many cases, to make use of MRI scans to determine the cause of death of an individual. MRI scanning is a medical technique used in radiology to visualise the detailed internal structure and function of the body.

Coroners are not yet legally bound to accept the results of an MRI scan. However, by submitting the results of such a scan the coroner should have enough evidence to determine the cause of death so that there will be no need for a post-mortem examination.

The technology behind MRI scans means that they are not cheap - an average scan can cost £1,300, something many families simply cannot afford. For this reason, the US Burial Society have undertaken to pay the full cost of any scans needed, with a small increase of just £2.00 per member in the US Funeral Expense Scheme helping to make this possible.

Commenting on this Melvyn Hartog said, "We all want to avoid the distress of autopsies which not only desecrate the deceased's body but make the grief of a sad loss all the harder to bear. I'm really pleased that we've been able to make this possible for our members at such a small cost.

-End-

EDITORS' NOTES: -

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Laura Ellman
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