Challenges in Requesting for Post Mortem Examination – A Gap in Ghanaian Law?

Abstract

This article recounts a case where there was great difficulty in getting a post mortem examination done in a 2 month old baby. It seeks to look at the Ghanaian legal position on post mortem examinations and on issues pertaining to the legal ownership of corpses in general; what can and cannot legally be done with them in Ghana. It also looks at laws from other jurisdictions and compares how similar incidents are handled under those laws. It tries to highlight the deficiency in Ghanaian law on the issue of post mortem and some of the gaps that need to be filled.