Abuse of a corpse

HRS §711-1108 — under Chapter 711.

HRS §711-1108

§711-1108 Abuse of a corpse. (1) A person commits the offense of abuse of a corpse if, except as authorized by law, the person:

(2) An entity to whom body parts are entrusted commits the offense of abuse of a corpse if, except as authorized by law, the entity to whom body parts are entrusted disposes of a dead human body without a disposition permit. Disposal of a dead human body includes removal of body parts or organs; provided that it shall not be an offense for a procurement organization to remove body parts or organs for transplantation or therapy prior to obtaining a disposition permit.

(3) The preparation of a corpse for burial or cremation in a manner consistent with traditional Hawaiian cultural customs and practices shall not be a violation of this section.

(4) The burial or cremation of a corpse prepared consistent with traditional Hawaiian cultural customs and practices shall not be a violation of this section.

(5) Abuse of a corpse is a misdemeanor.

(6) For the purposes of this section, "procurement organization" has the same meaning as defined in section 327-2. [L 1972, c 9, pt of §1; gen ch 1993; am L 2015, c 171, §2; am L 2020, c 43, §4]