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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>86564</law_id><section_number>19.2-188.2</section_number><catch_line>Certificate of surgeon as evidence</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="19.2">Criminal Procedure</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="12">Preliminary Hearing</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> In any criminal proceeding, the certificate of a duly qualified surgeon stating that he has removed organs or other body parts from a decedent for transplant in accordance with Chapter 8 (&#xA7; <a class="law" title="Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; central and district offices and facilities" href="/32.1-277/">32.1-277</a> et seq.) of Title 32.1, shall be <span class="dictionary">admissible</span> in <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> as <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> of the <span class="dictionary">facts</span> stated therein. The certificate shall be competent <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> to show that such organs or body parts were functional at the time of recovery and not affected by any injury or illness that caused the decedent&#x2019;s death. <a id="paragraph-310067" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-188.2/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> A copy of the certificate shall be filed with the attorney for the Commonwealth in the <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> in which the decedent&#x2019;s fatal injury occurred. The certificate shall not be admitted into <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> unless the attorney for the Commonwealth has provided a copy of the certificate to <span class="dictionary">counsel</span> for the <span class="dictionary">defendant</span> at least fourteen days prior to the proceeding in which it is to be offered into <span class="dictionary">evidence</span>. <a id="paragraph-310068" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-188.2/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="C"><p><span class="prefix-number">C.</span> Any such certificate, when properly notarized, purporting to be signed by the surgeon who removed the organs or other body parts shall be <span class="dictionary">admissible</span> in <span class="dictionary">evidence</span> without proof of seal or signature of the person whose name is signed to it. In any <span class="dictionary">hearing</span> or <span class="dictionary">trial</span> the <span class="dictionary">accused</span> shall have the right to call the person signing the certificate and the provisions of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Procedures for notifying accused of certificate of analysis; waiver; continuances" href="/19.2-187.1/">19.2-187.1</a> shall apply, <span class="dictionary">mutatis mutandis</span>. <a id="paragraph-310069" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/19.2-188.2/#C"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1997, c. 557.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
