Title 44, Chapter 5, Section 151
( 44-5-151)
(a) Any term used in this Code section and defined in Code Section 31-22-9.1 shall have the meaning provided for that term in Code Section 31-22-9.1. (b) Each health care facility, health care provider, blood bank,
tissue bank, sperm bank, or other similar legal entity which
procures, processes, distributes, or uses any human body part
determined by the Department of Human Resources to have a reasonable
probability of transmitting HIV shall subject or have subjected such
part, or the donor of such part, to an HIV test prior to making that
body part available for use in the body of another human being. Any
such body part thus determined to be infected with HIV and any body
part the donor of which has thus been determined to be infected with
HIV shall not be used in the body of another human being but shall
be safely and promptly disposed of or made available for medical
research, as provided in the regulations of the Department of Human
Resources. (c) When any body part or the donor thereof has been determined to
be infected with HIV pursuant to subsection (b) of this Code
section, the person or legal entity which ordered the HIV test of
the body part or donor thereof shall: (1) If the donor is alive and the records of that person or legal
entity reflect where the donor can be located, provide personal
and confidential notification of such determination to the donor;
or (2) If the donor is deceased, provide confidential notification of
such determination to any known physician of the donor, which
physician shall have the sole discretion whether the person who
executed the gift of the body part or any person at risk of being
infected with HIV by the donor should be notified by that
physician of such determination. (d) In a medical emergency constituting a serious threat to the life
of a potential recipient of blood, if blood that has been subjected
to the HIV test required under subsection (b) of this Code section
is not available, the testing otherwise required under subsection
(b) of this Code section shall not be required regarding such blood. (e) Any person or legal entity which violates subsection (b) of this
Code section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor. |