Anatomical gift

What does Anatomical gift mean in American Law?

The definition of Anatomical gift in the law of the United States, as defined by the lexicographer Arthur Leff in his legal dictionary is:

A gift, made by will or some quasi-testamentary instrument, of all or part or parts of one’s body (e.g., kidney, cornea, heart), to be taken after one’s death for use in medical education or research, or for implantation in the body of some living person in grave need. Because of recent medical advances in transplantation of organs, these gifts are of increasing practical and legal importance (though a decedent’s heirs could usually consent for such use of his body even without his own prior consent

or conveyance). Almost every American jurisdiction has enacted the “Uniform Anatomical Gift Act,” one of the Uniform Acts, which facilitates and regulates the making of anatomical gifts.