Coroners Association Calls Amend ‘Embarrassment’
The Washington State Association of Coroners and Medical Examiners rebuked the Spokane County coroner Tuesday, saying he is hurting their profession.
“It’s an embarrassment to our association and all the other coroners and medical examiners in the state of Washington,” said Floyd Johnson, the group’s secretary.
It’s the first time the group publicly has spoken out against a member.
“We as a rule are reluctant to do this, but this was a serious enough concern that we had to take some action,” said Peter Martin, association president and Whitman County coroner.
“He’s unsympathetic to the families, and it’s unnecessary,” said Johnson.
Through his secretary, Amend refused to comment.
Martin said he polled about 20 of the association’s 25 members. All agreed the Spokane County coroner is out of line, Martin said.
Amend, a retired urologist, is a member of the group, which trains coroners and medical examiners and helps set guidelines for the profession.
Martin said he and Amend, a longtime associate, have teamed up in the past.
Particularly disturbing are Amend’s comments about sex and homosexuality, Johnson said.
Several bereaved families have complained Amend has asked disturbing and irrelevant questions about the sexual practices and preferences of their dead loved ones. “That is completely irrelevant to any investigation and should never be discussed,” Johnson said.
The coroners association joins a long line of people who have spoken out against Amend’s behavior in recent months.
Hospice of Spokane issued a statement criticizing Amend’s lack of sensitivity toward the families of its clients. He notified one woman of her son’s death by leaving a message on her answering machine, Hospice said.
Gov. Mike Lowry sent Amend a letter chiding him for using the death of a young Spokane girl to “indict the entire gay community.”
Due to the same incident, a group began a recall effort to get the elected coroner booted from office.
About 140 Spokane doctors signed a petition endorsing Amend’s recall.
The Spokane AIDS Network issued a statement criticizing the way Amend had handled the death of a man from AIDS-related complications. The man’s family says Amend wanted to link his death to sodomy.
, DataTimes