The doctor was called to provide support in issuing the death certificate, after the woman suffered a miscarriage and placed the body in the trash.
A doctor is being investigated by authorities in the Azores after publishing, on social media, images and videos of a stillbirthThe clinician, Rafael Macedo, would have published content considered shocking on his Facebook page, where he appears handling the corpse, a situation that led to the opening of official investigations.
The case dates back to an episode that occurred on the island of Santa Maria, where a woman allegedly hidden the pregnancy and gave birth at home. According to reports, it was a supposed miscarriage, and the provisional results of the autopsy indicated that the baby was born dead. Thus, the authorities will not be investigating a crime of infanticide, but a possible situation of desecration of corpse.
After giving birth, the woman will have putting the baby’s body in the trash at the door of the residence, which led to the corpse entering the waste collection circuit. Inadvertently, he ended up being sent for treatment, having been frozen with a view to transporting him to the island of Terceira, where he would later be incinerated in his own unit.
It was in this context that doctor Rafael Macedo, linked to the Vila do Porto Health Center and former local health delegate, was called to intervene, namely to provide support in issuing the death certificate. However, the case took on a more serious turn when the clinician decided to publicly share details of what happened.
As a first step, it published a text with information about the stillbirth, including data such as the baby’s weight, as well as criticism directed at the waste management company. Subsequently, he advanced with the release of videos where he appears holding the corpse by the feetaccompanied by statements that generated social alarm, including references to an alleged “homicide”.
Given the seriousness of the situation, the Regional Government of the Azores determined the opening of an investigation process, the results of which should be communicated to the Public Ministry. Local authorities are now looking into not only the doctor’s conduct, but also any legal implications arising from the release of images of a dead body.
