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Senate committee hears proposal to remove required pre‑cremation medical examiner view
Summary
A bill to eliminate the separate in‑person medical examiner view before cremation drew questions about investigation safeguards and funeral‑industry liability. Sponsors and the chief medical examiner said the change would speed family access to remains while preserving death‑certification safeguards.
Sen. Sue Prentiss, sponsor of Senate Bill 146, told the Senate Judiciary Committee the bill would remove New Hampshire’s current requirement that an associate deputy medical examiner perform an in‑person view of a body before cremation. “As written, we are only talking here about eliminating the views prior to cremation,” Prentiss said.
The change would not alter the underlying death‑certification process, proponents said. Jenny Duval, the state chief medical examiner, said death certificates — including cause and manner of death — are produced through existing channels before a body is transferred to a funeral home. “We’re only trying to make the system more efficient for number one, for the families,” Duval said,…
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