Section 24-6B-22 - Cooperation between office of the state medical investigator and procurement organization.

24-6B-22. Cooperation between office of the state medical investigator and procurement organization.

A.     The office of the state medical investigator shall cooperate with procurement organizations to maximize the opportunity to recover anatomical gifts for the purpose of transplantation, therapy, research or education.

B.     If the office of the state medical investigator receives notice from a procurement organization that an anatomical gift might be available or was made with respect to a decedent whose body is under the jurisdiction of the office of the state medical investigator and a post-mortem examination is going to be performed, unless the office of the state medical investigator denies recovery in accordance with Section 23 [24-6B-23 NMSA 1978] of the Jonathan Spradling Revised Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, the office of the state medical investigator or its designee shall conduct a post-mortem examination of the body or the part in a manner and within a period compatible with its preservation for the purposes of the anatomical gift.

C.     A part may not be removed from the body of a decedent under the jurisdiction of the office of the state medical investigator for transplantation, therapy, research or education unless the part is the subject of an anatomical gift.  The body of a decedent under the jurisdiction of the office of the state medical investigator may not be delivered to a person for research or education unless the body is the subject of an anatomical gift.  This subsection does not preclude the office of the state medical investigator from performing the medico-legal investigation upon the body or parts of a decedent under the jurisdiction of the office of the state medical investigator.