N.Y. PBH Law § 4222

§ 4222. Removal of corneal tissue for transplant and pituitary gland\ntissue for the extraction of growth hormone. 1. Upon request from a\ngeneral hospital or medical center for corneal tissue for transplant or\npituitary gland tissue for extraction of growth hormone, the coroner or\nmedical examiner may then request or authorize an agent to request from\nthe authorized person under the conditions established in subdivision\ntwo of section forty-three hundred one of this chapter, the\nauthorization, which may be oral or written according to law, to perform\nthe removal. Upon receiving such authorization, the coroner or medical\nexaminer shall authorize the supply of such corneal tissue or pituitary\ngland tissue upon the following conditions:\n a. The body of the decedent is under the jurisdiction of the coroner\nor medical examiner authorizing the removal of the corneal tissue or\npituitary gland tissue.\n b. Such removal does not conflict with decedent's religious or other\nviews.\n c. The removal of the cornea for transplant or the pituitary gland for\nextraction of growth hormone will not interfere with the subsequent\ncourse of an investigation or autopsy.\n d. The removal of the corneal tissue or the pituitary gland tissue\nwill not alter the post mortem facial appearance of the decedent.\n 2. The coroner or medical examiner authorizing the removal of corneal\ntissue or the pituitary gland tissue pursuant to the provisions of this\nsection shall not be held liable in a civil action for damages by any\nperson specified by subdivision two of section forty-three hundred one\nof this chapter, for such removal where after the exercise of due\ndiligence such coroner or medical examiner obtained authorization from\nany person specified by subdivision two of section forty-three hundred\none of this chapter.\n 3. Except where an anatomical gift has previously been requested or\nauthorized, upon the request of a tissue bank or storage facility as\ndefined in section forty-three hundred of this chapter, the coroner or\nmedical examiner may then provide the name of the decedent under his\njurisdiction and the name of the decedent's spouse or other persons\nauthorized to execute an anatomical gift in accordance with the\nprovisions of section forty-three hundred one of this chapter.\n