AR HB1407

Physicians may authorize disposition of human tissue in a respectful and proper manner (incineration, burial, or cremation) after separating it from other medical waste, subject to State Board of Health regulations.

External body members and dead fetuses cannot be disposed of within 48 hours of removal without written consent from the patient/authorized person or the fetus mother/mother's spouse respectively.

Defines key terms including "dead fetus," "external member of the human body," "human tissue," and "respectful and proper manner" for purposes of tissue disposition.

Physicians and facilities performing abortions must dispose of fetal remains similar to other tissue and cannot conduct biomedical research on live-born fetuses or deceased fetuses without parental permission.

Prohibits buying, selling, exchanging, or possessing dead fetuses or fetal material from abortions; violation is a Class A misdemeanor; exempts physicians, pathologists, medical researchers, and educational institutions from these restrictions.