An Alabama House committee Wednesday approved legislation that could subject medical examiners to prison time if they harvest a deceased person’s organs without first notifying and obtaining consent from the deceased’s family.
HB 71, sponsored by Rep. Chris England, D-Tuscaloosa, makes it a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $15,000 fine, for a medical examiner to take a person’s organs without contacting their next of kin.
The law currently requires medical examiners to notify family members when organs are harvested and requires consent in all cases save for identification of the deceased, but does not provide penalties…