An autopsy is a medical examination of a dead body to find out how and why the person died, what disease or injury might be present, and if a particular medical or surgical treatment was effective. The word itself comes from the ancient Greek word autopsia, meaning "to see with one's own eyes." Autopsies are done by a specialized doctor called a pathologist, who's been trained to diagnose diseases by examining body fluids and tissues.
Autopsies are performed for legal or medical purposes. A legal, or forensic, autopsy is performed when there is a question about the nature of the death; the purpose of a legal autopsy is to figure out if the death was a homicide, suicide, accident, natural death, or unknown death. A medical, clinical, or academic autopsy is performed to find the medical cause of death and is used in cases of unknown or uncertain death, or for research purposes. Before a medical autopsy can be performed, the deceased's next-of-kin must give their consent; the next-of-kin can limit the scope of the procedure; for example, they might exclude the brain or include only the abdomen. Legal autopsies don't need the consent of the deceased's family.
Some people have personal, religious, or other reasons to want or not want an autopsy - this assumes the autopsy was "medical" and not legally required. Please use the radio button selections and the text box to explain your thoughts on whether or not you want an autopsy. Remember, this doesn't have to be a "yes" or "no" answer. You may want to have an autopsy in some cases, but not in others. Keep in mind that, in some cases, an autopsy may be required by law.