Estate Planning

Organ Donation in North Carolina

By Gregory Herman-Giddens

Most North Carolinians know that when they renew their driver's license, they can indicate their desire to be an organ donor by having a red heart placed on the license.  This alone is now sufficient to establish ones' intent to donate organs (but not tissue).  Signing a donor card and placing one's name on a donor registry is also sufficient - no witnesses or separate verification is required.

16 and 17 year old drivers can also indicate their desire to be a donor, subject to a parent's right to override the minor's wishes.

The North Carolina statuutory Health Care Power of Attorney forms also contain a provision for granting one's Agent the authority to donate organs.

If one does not wish to be a donor, any recorded statement to this effect is legally sufficient to bar others from making a gift of one's organs.

N.C.G.S. 130A-412.3 et seq.

Full post as published by North Carolina Estate Planning Blog on May 22, 2008 (boomark / email).