SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) — A new state law will protect certified pathologists from legal action.

Under the legislation, Illinois counties will be required to indemnify and hold harmless the medical professionals responsible for conducting autopsies. 

Sangamon County Coroner Jim Allmon said this can help address the drastic shortage of forensic pathologists in Illinois, as there are only three working south of I-80.

"They are supposed to operate independently. They're a non-biased stand alone entity," Allmon said. "We want an honest opinion by the highly-trained forensic pathologist of why that person died and we don't want those waters to be muddied at all."

Sponsors and advocates said this is a major change, as Cook County is the only county in Illinois that currently provides this protection. Sen. Doris Turner (D-Springfield) noted that the three certified pathologists travel across large parts of central and southern Illinois to conduct autopsies for local coroners.

"When you have so few people that are available, you want to make sure that you have the most qualified people performing this work," Turner said. "But you also want to open the door to have more people come in."

Turner and Rep. Mike Coffey (R-Springfield) were lead sponsors of the measure.

This plan gained unanimous support in the House and Senate this spring. The new law will take effect on January 1.

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