1Albany, NY – A proposal in the New York State Assembly would allow close friends of a deceased person to authorize organ or tissue donation when no relatives or designated agents are available.

Assemblymember Amy Paulin introduced the bill, Assembly A1395, to align New York’s anatomical gift laws with those of most other states and with the state’s Family Health Care Decisions Act.

The measure would amend the Public Health Law to recognize “close friends” as eligible decision-makers for posthumous organ, eye, and tissue donation, joining the current list of family members and authorized representatives.

Expanding who can consent to organ donation

Under existing law, only next of kin, legal guardians, or others formally responsible for a decedent’s remains can consent to an anatomical

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