Identifying 9/11 Victims

Video: Identifying 9/11 Victims

From: Identifying Remains: Lessons Learned From 9/11

Will every person or every fragment be identified?
The answer to this question frames the scope of the entire identification effort.

For example, after the 9/11 attacks, Rudy Giuliani, the mayor of New York City, directed the medical examiner to identify every fragment of human remains.

If the goal is to identify all human remains—as opposed to every victim—the identification effort will take longer and be more costly.

On the other hand, if the policy is to identify all the victims, the DNA identification effort would stop when the last victim is identified. This could mean that some human remains would not be analyzed or returned to the families.

Everyone—the public, policymakers, and laboratory personnel—must understand the answer to the important question: “When are we finished?

Discussion Questions:
1) What is the difference between a "goal to identify all humans remains" and a "policy to identify all the victims"?
2) What are some trade-offs (pros and cons) between the 2 goals described above?
2) When, if ever, should the victim identification effort stop? Why?