(a)  An anatomical gift may be made to the following persons named in the document of gift:

(1)  A hospital; accredited medical school, dental school, college, or university; organ procurement organization; or other appropriate person, for research or education;

(2)  Subject to subsection (b), an individual designated by the person making the anatomical gift if the individual is the recipient of the part;

(3)  An eye bank or tissue bank.

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Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-11

  • Amendment: A proposal to alter the text of a pending bill or other measure by striking out some of it, by inserting new language, or both. Before an amendment becomes part of the measure, thelegislature must agree to it.
  • Anatomical gift: means a donation of all or part of a human body to take effect after the donor's death for the purpose of transplantation, therapy, research, or education. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Decedent: A deceased person.
  • Decedent: means a deceased individual whose body or part is or may be the source of an anatomical gift. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Document of gift: means inclusion in a donor registry, a donor card or other record used to make an anatomical gift. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Eye bank: means a person that is licensed, accredited, or regulated under federal or state law to engage in the recovery, screening, testing, processing, storage, or distribution of human eyes or portions of human eyes. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
  • Hospital: means a facility licensed as a hospital under the law of any state or a facility operated as a hospital by the United States, a state, or a subdivision of a state. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Know: means to have actual knowledge. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
  • Organ procurement organization: means a person designated by the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services as an organ procurement organization. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Part: means an organ, an eye, or tissue of a human being. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Person: means an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, limited liability company, association, joint venture, public corporation, government or governmental subdivision, agency, or instrumentality, or any other legal or commercial entity. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Procurement organization: means an eye bank, organ procurement organization, or tissue bank. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Recipient: means an individual into whose body a decedent's part has been or is intended to be transplanted. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Refusal: means a record created under Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Tissue: means a portion of the human body other than an organ or an eye. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2
  • Tissue bank: means a person that is licensed, accredited, or regulated under federal or state law to engage in the recovery, screening, testing, processing, storage, or distribution of tissue. See Rhode Island General Laws 23-18.6.1-2

(b)  If an anatomical gift to an individual under subdivision (a)(2) cannot be transplanted into the individual, the part passes in accordance with subsection (g) in the absence of a known, express, contrary indication by the person making the anatomical gift.

(c)  If an anatomical gift of one or more specific parts or of all parts is made in a document of gift that does not name a person described in subsection (a) but identifies the purpose for which an anatomical gift may be used, the following rules apply:

(1)  If the part is an eye and the gift is for the purpose of transplantation or therapy, the gift passes to the appropriate eye bank.

(2)  If the part is tissue and the gift is for the purpose of transplantation or therapy, the gift passes to the appropriate tissue bank.

(3)  If the part is an organ and the gift is for the purpose of transplantation or therapy, the gift passes to the appropriate organ procurement organization as custodian of the organ.

(4)  If the part is an organ, an eye, or tissue and the gift is for the purpose of research or education, the gift passes to the appropriate procurement organization.

(d)  For the purpose of subsection (c), if there is more than one purpose of an anatomical gift set forth in the document of gift but the purposes are not set forth in any priority, the gift must be used for transplantation or therapy, if suitable. If the gift cannot be used for transplantation or therapy, the gift may be used for research or education.

(e)  If an anatomical gift of one or more specific parts is made in a document of gift that does not name a person described in subsection (a) and does not identify the purpose of the gift, the gift passes in accordance with subsection (g) and must be used for transplantation or therapy, if suitable. If the gift cannot be used for transplantation or therapy, the gift may be used for research or education.

(f)  If a document of gift specifies only a general intent to make an anatomical gift by words such as “donor”, “organ donor”, or “body donor”, or by a symbol or statement of similar import, the gift passes in accordance with subsection (g) and must be used for transplantation or therapy, if suitable. If the gift cannot be used for transplantation or therapy, the gift may be used for research or education.

(g)  For purposes of subsections (b), (e), and (f) the following rules apply:

(1)  If the part is an eye, the gift passes to the appropriate eye bank.

(2)  If the part is tissue, the gift passes to the appropriate tissue bank.

(3)  If the part is an organ, the gift passes to the appropriate organ procurement organization as custodian of the organ.

(h)  An anatomical gift of an organ for transplantation or therapy, other than an anatomical gift under subdivision (a)(2), passes to the organ procurement organization as custodian of the organ.

(i)  If an anatomical gift does not pass pursuant to subsections (a) through (h) or the decedent‘s body or part is not used for transplantation, therapy, research, or education, custody of the body or part passes to the person under obligation to dispose of the body or part.

(j)  A person may not accept an anatomical gift if the person knows that the gift was not effectively made in accordance with this chapter or if the person knows that the decedent made a refusal in accordance with this chapter that was not revoked. For purposes of the subsection, if a person knows that an anatomical gift was made on a document of gift, the person is deemed to know of any amendment or revocation of the gift or any refusal to make an anatomical gift on the same document of gift.

(k)  Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (a)(2), nothing in this chapter affects the allocation of organs for transplantation or therapy.

History of Section.
P.L. 2007, ch. 476, § 2.