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Ontario Assembly Bill

Ontario Bill 84

43rd Parl. 1st Sess.
March 23, 2023
Peter Kormos Memorial Act (Saving Organs to Save Lives), 2023
  • This is a summary of the Bill 84 2023, also known as the Peter Kormos Memorial Act (Saving Organs to Save Lives). The Act aims to amend various statutes related to the removal and use of tissue from a human body for therapeutic purposes, medical education, or scientific research. The Act includes provisions regarding post-mortem transplants and other uses of tissue. It states that tissue from a person's body may be removed and used after their death for therapeutic purposes, medical education, or scientific research, including transplants, unless the person has objected to it or if the person is a child under 16 years old and their parent or guardian has not consented. The Act also outlines the process for making objections or giving consent. Any person who is 16 years or older can object to tissue removal and use by writing, orally in the presence of witnesses, or through electronic means. The objection should be communicated to a physician or the Agency. For children under 16, their parent or guardian must give consent, which should also be communicated to a physician or the Agency. The Act specifies who can object on behalf of another person if they are unable to do so themselves. This includes spouses, children, parents, siblings, other next of kin, or the person lawfully in possession of the body. The objection should be made in writing, orally in the presence of witnesses, or through electronic means and communicated to a physician or the Agency. The Act also addresses the obligations of designated facilities and the Agency's role in determining whether patients or their substitutes should be contacted regarding objections or consent for tissue removal and use. Reasonable efforts should be made to contact the patient or substitute, and the contact should meet the requirements set by the Agency. Additionally, the Act establishes a registry where names of individuals who have objected or given consent for tissue removal and use can be recorded. The Agency is responsible for maintaining this registry promptly upon receiving objections or consent. The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent and is officially titled the Peter Kormos Memorial Act (Saving Organs to Save Lives), 2023.
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Context: Assembly - Mar/23/23
Mme France Gélinas
  • Mar/23/23 11:30:00 a.m.
  • Re: Bill 84 

The bill is called the Peter Kormos Memorial Act. This is something that my colleague Peter Kormos was really adamant about.

The Gift of Life Act currently requires that consent be obtained before tissue can be removed from a human body to be used for therapeutic purposes. Under the proposed amendment, consent would no longer be required, except for children, and a person may object to the removal and use of a tissue prior to their death, or a substitute decision-maker after the death has occurred. Those changes would make sure that the more-than-1,300 people presently on the wait-list for a transplant would get quicker access to life-saving care.
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