Chechen Parliament suggests bill on alternative autopsy

The Chechen MPs have offered their State Duma colleagues to prescribe in the law an opportunity to replace the autopsy of dead bodies by the so-called "virtual autopsy", which is more appropriate to the Islamic tradition and can be carried out with the help of high-tech equipment.

The amendments proposed on May 5 refer to the law "On Fundamentals of Citizens' Health Care". The explanatory note thereto states that in practice relatives of the deceased often receive bodies for burial without a prior pathological anatomical examination, and this leads to the impossibility of giving an objective assessment of the quality of medical services. Chechen MPs offer to introduce the notion of "virtual autopsy" into the legislation – the method that involves the use of optical scanners and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

These methods will make it possible to investigate the causes of death, taking into account the Chechens' mentality, who, for religious reasons, often ban autopsy, said Murat Tagiev, the chairman of the committee on social policy, health and sports of the Chechen Parliament, adding that the bill does not violate any of the constitutional principles and doctors' rights, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

In Islam, there is no direct ban on autopsy, but it delays the funeral, which, according to traditions, should be held within 24 hours, the "Medscape" reports.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.