The Arkansas legislature is considering HB 1679, a bill that would allow family members and other interested parties to rescind an individual’s donor designation simply because of their own discomfort with organ/eye/tissue donation. This unprecedented erosion of personal choice will disrupt the donation and transplantation process and cause more strife during an emotionally charged time in a family’s life.
EBAA sent a letter opposing HB 1679 to the Arkansas legislature, as did AOPO, AATB, AMAT and DLA, among other organizations. You can read the letter below.
March 18, 2025
Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor
Arkansas House of Representatives
Dear Committee Members,
Each year, members of the Eye Bank Association of America recover, process, and
distribute nearly 80,000 corneas for sight-restoring transplant procedures. The organ,
eye, and tissue donor registries hosted by each state are invaluable to this mission,
allowing eye banks to swiftly and efficiently honor the selfless decisions of individuals
who chose to give the gift of sight. However, HB 1679 threatens to disrupt this vital
process, restricting access to donated tissues and impacting the lives of your constituents.
The decision to register as an organ, eye, and tissue donor is a deeply personal and
deliberate choice, reflecting an individual’s clear and generous intent. The Uniform
Anatomical Gift Act rightfully upholds that such decisions should not be overturned
without compelling justification. Unfortunately, HB 1679 introduces ten categories of
individuals who could rescind a donor’s legally registered gift. This could mean that
dozens of individuals—many in the throes of grief—would have the power to override a
decision made with careful thought and altruism.
Time is of the essence in corneal donation. Corneas must be recovered within 24 hours of
death, as cellular deterioration begins immediately. The additional burden of reaffirming
a donor’s decision with multiple family members, potentially seeking majority approval,
will cause unnecessary delays, confusion, and, ultimately, the loss of viable corneas that
could have restored sight to those in need. Beyond the medical impact, this process
imposes an emotional toll on grieving families, compounding their distress at an already
difficult time.
While EBAA’s focus is corneal donation, we stand in solidarity with our partners in organ
and musculoskeletal donation. It is important to recognize that Arkansas had the nation’s
ninth-highest rate of chronic kidney disease in 2023, highlighting just one of the many
groups who would suffer from the reduced availability of donated organs and tissues
should HB 1679 pass.
I strongly urge you to oppose HB 1679 to protect the integrity of the donor registry and
ensure that selfless gifts of life and sight are honored. Please feel free to contact me if you
require any additional information.
Sincerely,
Kevin P. Corcoran
President & CEO
kevin@restoresight.org
