Human Tissue Gift Act

New Brunswick has not changed their tissue exemptions since adopting the 1971 Uniform Human Tissue Act. Thus, sperm and bone marrow, for example, may be excluded if they fall under the definition of “tissue that is replaceable by natural process of repair”. However, the prohibition on sale is expansive, including “any human body or part of any human body”, except for blood or blood constituents, which may mean that the exempt tissues are still prohibited from sale under the .Human Tissue Gift Act.

Pay-For-Plasma Clinics

Given the exemptions in the Human Tissue Donation Act, and lack of legislation prohibiting the sale of blood and blood constituents, as of 2024, pay-for-plasma clinics were able to open in Moncton, Saint John and Fredericton.

New Brunswick's Opt-in System

In 2023, New Brunswick became the second province–following Nova Scotia–to implement an opt-out organ donation system. Traditionally, organ donation has been administered through an opt-in system, meaning potential donors or their power of attorney would have to give explicit consent to donate organs after death. However, as in Nova Scotia, under New Brunswick's opt-out system, individuals are presumed to be organ donors unless they explicitly opt-out.