A new law aimed at bolstering organ and tissue donations came into effect today.
The province’s Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act will now see eligible people who do not record a decision on their health card as agreeing to be a donor, or deemed consent.
There are a number of exclusions, including people under 19 years old, people who have lived in the province for fewer than 12 months, and those without decision-making capacity.
Individuals may also opt-out on the government’s website or by calling MSI; decisions can be changed at any time.
The new legislation was announced last June.
At the time, Premier Stephen McNeil noted that once the new law came into effect, Nova Scotia would be the first jurisdiction in North America to have such legislation.
