In the United States, deaths without doctor care are investigated by medical examiners or coroners, with medical examiners requiring physician qualifications. Coroners typically only need to be of legal age and without felony convictions. The editors of Scientific America advocate for replacing coroners with medical examiners for accuracy. However, this argument may reflect a subjective value judgment about the role. The COVID-19 pandemic politicization affected death reporting accuracy, particularly undercounting in pro-Trump regions, thus questioning the objectivity of both medical examiners and coroners regarding political influences on their determinations.
The editors of Scientific America have argued in favor of eliminating coroners in favor of medical examiners, stating that experts are needed to correctly determine the cause of death.
While it is argued that medical examiners should determine the cause of death due to their expertise, this viewpoint is influenced by a value judgment about their role.
The response of Trump and his associates during the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted politicization, with implications for accurate reporting of death statistics and impacts on marginalized communities.
The undercounting of COVID-19 deaths was particularly pronounced in pro-Trump areas, suggesting a connection between political bias and the integrity of death determinations.
Collection
[
|
...
]