Section 7 Gift of body or tissue; definitions - Massachusetts Statutes

Section 7. In sections eight to fourteen, inclusive, unless the context otherwise requires, the following words shall have the following meanings:

“Acute hospital”, any hospital licensed under section fifty-one of chapter one hundred and eleven, and the teaching hospital of the University of Massachusetts medical school, which contain a majority of medical-surgical, pediatric, obstetric, and maternity beds as defined by the department of public health.

“Bank or storage facility”, a facility licensed, accredited or approved by the department of public health.

“Commissioner”, the commissioner of the department of public health.

“Decedent”, a deceased individual and includes a stillborn infant or fetus.

“Department”, the department of public health.

“Document of gift”, an organ and tissue donor card, inclusion in a donor registry, a statement attached to or imprinted on a driver’s license or an identification card issued by the registrar of motor vehicles, a will or other writing used to make an anatomical gift.

“Donor”, an individual who makes a gift of all or part of his body.

“Donor registry”, an electronic database identifying donors that is developed and maintained by a federally designated organ procurement organization or federally registered nonprofit eye or tissue bank serving the commonwealth.

“Hospital”, a hospital licensed, accredited or approved under the laws of any state and includes a hospital operated by the United States government, a state or a subdivision thereof, although not required to be licensed under state laws.

“Part” or “Parts”, organs, tissues, skin, eyes, bones, arteries, blood, other fluids and other portions of a human body; but a gamete, as defined in section 2 of chapter 111L, shall be donated in accordance with said chapter 111L.

“Person”, an individual, corporation, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association or any other legal entity.

“Physician” or “surgeon”, a physician or surgeon licensed or authorized to practice under the laws of any state.

“State”, includes any state, district, commonwealth, territory, insular possession, and any other area subject to the legislative authority of the United States of America.