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His remark about the infant came while he was describing how he started with a baby "that looked like a bearskin rug." "I had to rebuild it in nine hours. I used everything: duct tape, masking tape, tissue builder, wound filler. ... I put, like, coat hangers and caulk in there and put him into a little baby outfit. He even weighed enough, too, because I packed his head and his chest. He looked awesome," he said. Schoeller said his remarks were an attempt to show how he took pride in his work and how it is an art to him. "I tried to explain in my layman's terms how some of these deceased people, how much work went into making them look good so the family could have a lasting impression for the last time," he said. Schoeller said he would have used different language if he had realized his comments were going to be published. Ethical regulations for funeral directors and embalmers differ from state to state, but it is a clear violation in all states for funeral directors or embalmers to talk publicly in a way that identifies a deceased person entrusted to their care, said Lisa Carlson, executive director of the Funeral Ethics Organization. Other professions also restrict workers from talking about the people they serve. Under the federal health privacy rules, providers are restricted from disclosing personal health information about patients. Lawyers are also bound by confidentiality rules to not disclose what their clients tell them. Schoeller said he did not identify anyone in his remarks to the reporter. "If he's just generally talking about fat people, that's just poor taste," Carlson said. "If he worked at my funeral home, I'd fire him for not having good judgment." The Supreme Judicial Court is expected to rule on the case within three months. The court could allow the revocation to stand, or could send the case back to the board and say the sanction seems excessive, or could reverse the finding of the board.
[Associated
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