Autopsies, scans and cultural exceptionalism

[Extract] Does digital technology mean that coroners should respect the concerns of many Australians by avoiding traditional dissection of a deceased person, if a dissection is contrary to religious beliefs? This article highlights a recent United Kingdom High Court judgment that emphasised use of digital scanning rather than invasive interference with a deceased person. The judgment in Rotsztein v HM Senior Coroner for Inner London [2015] EWHC (Admin) (28 July) [unreported] embodies recognition that noninvasive autopsies (in the form of imaging and blood tests rather than dissection and organ removal) may be appropriate. It should inform Australian practice regarding autopsies relating to Indigenous people and other ethno-religious communities that include adherents of Judaism, Islam or groups such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and some Pacific Islanders.