Illinois § 6.21

§ 6.21.

Umbilical cord blood donation. (a) All licensed hospitals shall offer a pregnant patient the option to donate, to a publicly accessible certified cord blood bank, blood extracted from the umbilical cord following the delivery of a newborn child if the donation can be made at no expense to the patient or hospital for collection or storage. (b) Nothing in this Section obligates a hospital to collect umbilical cord blood if, in the professional judgment of a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches or a nurse, the collection would threaten the health of the mother or child. (c) Nothing in this Section imposes a requirement upon any hospital employee, physician, nurse, or hospital that is directly affiliated with a bona fide religious denomination that includes as an integral part of its beliefs and practices the tenet that blood transfer is contrary to the moral principles the denomination considers to be an essential part of its beliefs. (d) Subject to appropriations for that purpose, the Department of Public Health shall make the maximization of umbilical cord blood donations a public health goal. All licensed hospitals and birthing centers shall cooperate with the Department of Public Health in implementing this goal of increasing donations of umbilical cord blood. (Source: P.A. 93-143, eff. 1-1-04; 94-832, eff. 6-5-06.)