The law quoted just means the ME has the
discretion to perform an autopsy, NOT
that everyone who gets cremated is autopsied.

Most of the posters here clearly never bothered
to read Dr. Walker's deposition, where he
admits the alleged injuries he saw could just
have easily been caused by efforts of the
paramedics to resuscitate her, and the subsequent
year of physical therapy.

The autopsy will only confirm the enormous
brain damage already shown on her CT scan.

1. As having trained as a nurse he has significant medical knowledge that his denial of
the regenerative therapies and stimulation resulted in further brain damage (use it or lose it concept) No doubt the autopsy will show serious degeneration.
2. If there is an insurance policy the insurance company may require autopsy to pay out.

The hope of any who believe that her condition resulted from trauma and this will be revealed is that the autopsy will reveal the results of the trauma of multiple broken bones thus verifying that Terri's condition resulted due to trauma. There is no indication that she had ever been diagnosed with any eating disorder. The Doctor who was sued under this claim was later able to overturn this in court. Besides Dr. Baden who is a well reknowned forensic pathologist reviewed the original bone scans and gave his opinion that unless she had been in a horrific car accident there should of been and should still be a full investigation to determine the cause of the significant evidence of trauma.
There is some descrepancy in the timeline reported of this bone scan. If it in fact was done upon her arrival at the hospital the night of her injury he is screwed to put it bluntly. However if it was done some months later as Greer purports he will then blame incompetent hospital workers for these injuries. Hopefully there is
a way to determine within narrow range the age of the injuries.
Also learned today that an individual from DCF did an investigation where abuse prior to hospitalization was alledged and the worker was basically informed that DCF was not going to follow through and the report was quashed with reccomendations. A superior of this investigator
sent the lengthy report (that they were ordered to dispose of back to the investigator with a notation (I was ordered to destroy this sending it to you in this box to protect fingerprints. Hold on to it you may need it).
If true that means this is not over....

406.11 Examinations, investigations, and autopsies

(1) In any of the following circumstances involving the death of a human being, the medical examiner of the district in which the death occurred or the body was found shall determine the cause of death and shall, for that purpose, make or have performed such examinations, investigations, and autopsies as he or she shall deem necessary or as shall be requested by the state attorney:

* * *

(c) When a body is to be cremated,

The question of course is why Mr. Schiavo would "order" an autopsy which, most likely, is a foregone conclusion?

MAYBE TERRI WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD YET .......

And will it now become a matter of federal law?

This could, with a lot of bad will, stretch perhaps into the next decade, if not the next century.

I think you're getting a little "zealot"-esque on this issue yourself, James.

I'm glad the autopsy will be performed, if for no other reason than it might provide a little closure for some people who are upset about the slow dehydration of this woman.

However, it's not going to be the end for people who believe she shouldn't have been killed in the first place.

an autopsy of his wife.

Via Reuters:The husband of brain-damaged Florida woman Terri Schiavo has ordered an autopsy after she dies to silence allegations his plan to cremate her body is aimed ...