Colorado bill closing youth autopsies to public advances

Colorado lawmakers have advanced a bill to remove autopsy reports involving minors from public documents available under the Colorado Open Records Act.

The Democrat-led House voted 63-2 on Tuesday to send the bill to the GOP-led Senate, which will consider minor amendments before sending it to Gov. John Hickenlooper.

The Colorado Coroners Association pushed for the bill. The group argued that the release of detailed autopsies on youth creates unneeded agony for grieving families and can lead to copycat teen suicides.

During testimony, supporters presented no cases of copycat behavior stemming from the release of autopsies.

Opponents included Colorado press organizations. They said the bill chips away at the records act and will hamper reporting on suspicious youth deaths, government child protection programs, and holding elected coroners accountable.