Part of creating an estate plan may include documenting what you want your family to do with your body after you die. You can have a funeral and burial, be cremated, donate organs, or you can donate your whole body to science. In some cases, the family decides to donate your body to science after you die. However, if you feel strongly about doing so and do not believe that your family will do so, you can register with an organization to donate your body and put that information in your advanced directive or Will.
Steps to Donating Your Body
When creating an advance directive in Georgia, you can choose to allow donation of your organs or your body, they are two separate things. If you choose to allow donation of your organs, a medical team will determine if your organs can be accepted based on your age and medical conditions during lifetime as well as cause of death. If on the other hand, you choose to donate your body to science, there are very few restrictions. Age does not typically matter but there are a few medical conditions that may prevent donation of your body, such as HIV or hepatitis. To start the process to donate your body, research the various organizations for body donation, then:
- Choose an organization and register for body donation.
- If you have a will and/or advanced directive, amend one or both of them to include your wishes and the contact information of the organization of your choice.
- If you do not have a will or estate plan, contact a Georgia estate plan attorney to help you create an estate plan, including adding instructions for your body donation wishes.
If the body donation organization has any requirements, be sure to complete those requirements as soon as possible after you sign up.
What Happens After I Donate My Body?
Your body is used to teach medical students and to do research. For example, if you had cancer, oncologists may use your body to further research on the type of cancer you had. Once the researchers have done all the research possible, they will cremate the remains. If your family wishes to receive your remains, they should contact the organization to request the return of the cremated remains to the family.
Contact a Georgia Estate Planning Attorney
If you do not have an estate plan or you need to update your estate plan, contact our Georgia estate planning attorney at Grissom Law, LLC for a consultation.
Disclaimer
This Blog/Web Site is made available for educational purposes only as well as to give you general information and a general understanding of the law, not to provide legal advice. By using this blog site you understand that there is no attorney client relationship between you and Grissom Law, LLC.