The autopsy, which comes from the Greek word autopsia, meaning “the act of seeing with one’s own eyes,” is a centuries-old technique and a cornerstone of medical diagnostics. Autopsies can help inform treatments, sharpen diagnoses, and correct misdiagnoses. Without them, death often remains a dense, impenetrable mystery. Nowhere is this more true than when the individual in question is a child—and even more so if that child never gets the chance to leave the womb.
But an autopsy is invasive, involving cutting open the body to inspect the organs inside. In the case of children, the idea can horrify parents, even if the cause of death is unknown. “More and
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