A state judge has ruled that a lawsuit accusing Alabama prisons of illegally harvesting the organs of deceased inmates can proceed. The lawsuit filed by eight families alleges that the Alabama Department of Corrections allowed the University of Alabama at Birmingham to study the organs of their relatives without consent. The defendants argued that a contract authorized the autopsies and they were protected by state immunity, but the judge ruled that immunity does not apply if actions violate the law.
The families’ lawyers argued that the contract itself was illegal, citing a state law that requires consent from the next of kin for organ retention. The families seek recognition of the harm and responsibility. The lawsuit claims the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Division of Autopsy received a significant portion of their income from autopsies on deceased inmates.
Family members expressed outrage at the alleged practice, with one stating they can never lay their loved one to rest. The extensive use of organs from deceased inmates for study purposes has raised ethical concerns among legal experts and former medical students. The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 6. The judge’s ruling allows the families to pursue accountability and truth for the alleged misconduct by the Alabama Department of Corrections and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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