Opinion ID: 3134232
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Ill 2d at 447. The legislature responded by restricting the

Text: liability of blood, human organ and tissue service providers to instances of negligence and willful misconduct. Section 2, Limitation of liability, fully accomplishes that end by eliminating the strict liability exposure of such persons and organizations with the statement that the procuring, furnishing, donating, processing, distributing or using of human whole blood, plasma, blood derivatives, human organs and tissue for purposes of injection, transfusion, or transplantation in a human body is the rendition of a service for purposes of tort and contract liability. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 111½, par. 5102. A review of section 1, Declaration of public policy, is also instructive. Section 1 states: [The] availability of scientific knowledge, skills and materials for the purpose of injecting, transfusing or transplanting human whole blood, plasma, blood products, blood derivatives and  [other] organs or other human tissue is important to the health and welfare of the people of this State. The imposition of legal liability without fault upon the persons and organizations engaged in such scientific procedures inhibits the exercise of sound medical judgment and restricts the availability of important scientific knowledge, skills and materials. (Emphasis added.) Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 111½, par. 5101. The provision continues, declaring the state's policy to limit liability to negligence and willful conduct and referring, again, to the processes of making such materials available for human use as scientific procedures. Ill. Rev. Stat. 1983, ch. 111½, par. 5101. As expressly stated in section 1, the legislature viewed the persons and organizations engaged in scientific procedures as exercising medical judgment which would be inhibited by the imposition of strict liability. The legislature also expressly stated its belief that the availability of important scientific knowledge and skills would be restricted by such an imposition.