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Health Law and Policy

University of Washington School of Law

Washington International Law Journal

Journal

2013

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Full-Text Articles in Law

Fatal Flaws: New Zealand's Human Tissue Act Fails To Provide An Avenue For Individuals To Give Legally Binding Informed Consent, Jennifer J. Howard Jan 2013

Fatal Flaws: New Zealand's Human Tissue Act Fails To Provide An Avenue For Individuals To Give Legally Binding Informed Consent, Jennifer J. Howard

Washington International Law Journal

Improving the worldwide organ transplantation rate is an important goal for the world health community. Thousands of people die each year waiting for organs that would save their lives. New Zealand has one of the poorest rates of transplantation in the Western world. In 2008, New Zealand passed the Human Tissue Act in an attempt to improve the number of donors and ultimately increase the number of transplants performed. To promote the autonomy of individuals, the new law prioritized who can give informed consent for organ donation upon death, with individuals’ actions and intentions being paramount. The law allows individuals …