STATEMENT
Media Contact:
Jenny Daigle | [email protected]
AOPO Statement on the Passing of Arkansas House Bill 1679, Now Act 861
MCLEAN, VA. (April 24, 2025)—The Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) is disappointed the Arkansas General Assembly has passed House Bill 1679 – now Act 861 – a law that undermines the rights of registered organ and tissue donors and threatens the integrity of the nation’s donation system.
The legislation allows a patient’s health care power of attorney to override their legally registered decision to donate and gives next of kin the ability to revoke donation up to two hours after cardiac death. These changes strip individuals of their right to make their own decision and weaken longstanding legal protections to honor those final wishes.
AOPO urges the Arkansas General Assembly to reconsider this legislation and protect the rights of donors.
More than 1 million lives have been saved by organ and tissue donors – many from Arkansas – who made the courageous decision to give the gift of life to save others. Our system relies on honoring those decisions. With over 100,000 Americans awaiting organ transplants, every registered donor matters. Act 861 jeopardizes their chances of receiving lifesaving care while also threatening the rights and legacies of more than 1.5 million Arkansans who have registered to donate.
The Uniform Anatomical Gift Act (UAGA), a federal framework recognized in all U.S. states and territories, affirms an individual’s legal right to decide whether to donate their organs and tissues after death. It specifically bans others from overturning that decision, recognizing it as a final and legally binding act of generosity that must be respected nationwide.
By allowing others to disregard those decisions, the law sets a dangerous precedent – one that erodes trust, undermines decades of progress in donation, and could deter future donors across the country.
Organ donation is a life-saving gift. Organ procurement organizations and the greater donation community are committed to transparency and education to ensure that individuals and their families understand how the donation and transplant process works. AOPO’s concerns, which have been shared with the Arkansas Senate, are joined by national stakeholders including Donate Life America, the National Kidney Foundation, and the Association for Multicultural Affairs in Transplantation – all of whom oppose this legislation for its potential to undermine trust in the donation process.
We urge Arkansas lawmakers to protect donor rights and preserve the gift of life.