RCFP urges Maryland lawmakers to vote ‘no’ on bill that would shield autopsy records from public

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press is urging Maryland lawmakers to vote “no” on a bill that would shield autopsy records from the public, arguing that it would “harm Maryland journalists and government transparency.”

In a letter sent to the Maryland House Health and Government Operations Committee on March 12, 2025, the Reporters Committee expressed opposition to HB 290, which would remove complete autopsy reports from the Maryland Public Information Act. Instead, the bill would only permit the release of a “final autopsy diagnosis” containing “interpretations and conclusions of a medical examiner.”

Currently, more than half of the states in the U.S., including Maryland, allow complete autopsy report access. These states, like Maryland, often include limited exemptions that allow agencies to withhold, for example, autopsy records while an investigation is ongoing, as well as certain photographs related to autopsies, the Reporters Committee’s letter states. 

The Reporters Committee argues that autopsy data has “played an important role in public interest news reporting and in spurring notable policy changes.” 

For example, the letter notes that The Baltimore Banner used complete autopsy reports in its yearslong, award-winning investigation into the opioid crisis in Maryland. The Banner’s reporting led to the closure of a troubled treatment program and sparked broader policy discussions on how to best combat the opioid epidemic.

The Reporters Committee’s letter adds that, where states deny complete access to autopsy records, “the public can remain in the dark regarding trends and important data about deaths in the community and deaths that occur while an individual is in government custody.”

Finally, the Reporters Committee’s letter notes that the bill’s definition of a “final autopsy diagnosis” lacks clarity, meaning the proposed change could remove vital information like cause of death and demographic information from the public record.