Massa, J.
This case presents the issue of whether the certificates of death that doctors, coroners, and funeral directors file with county health departments pursuant to Indiana Code chapter 16-37-3 are public records that a county health department must provide public access to under the Indiana Access to Public Records Act. We believe they are, and therefore we reverse the trial court.
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In our society, death is an intimate and personal matter. We recognize that public disclosure of the details of a decedent’s death may cause pain to his family and friends. We are also mindful of the importance of open and transparent government to the health of our body politic. Our General Assembly has considered these competing interests and, insofar as we can determin, concluded that the public interest outweighs the private. Indeed, in recent history, it has rejected three bills that would have exempted death certificates from APRA. See H.B. 1067 § 11, 114th Gen. Assem., 2nd Reg. Sess. (Ind. 2006); H.B. 1551 § 9, 114th Gen. Assem., 1st Reg. Sess. (Ind. 2005); H.B. 1540 § 8, 113th Gen. Assem., 1st Reg. Sess. (Ind. 2003). Even if we wished to rebalance the scales, it is beyond our power to do so.
Conclusion
We reverse the trial court and remand this case for entry of summary judgment in plaintiffs’ favor. Upon remand, the trial court should also determine whether to award plaintiffs their attorney’s fees and if so, how much.
Rush, C.J., and Dickson, Rucker, and David, JJ., concur.