Human composting (vs. cremation or burial): legality & experiences
August 23, 2022 10:34 PM Subscribe
California may legalize human composting (cached LA Times article) as an alternative to cremation & burial, so I have two questions:
1) Aside from setting a Google Alert, how do I know if and when the law will pass? And if it doesn't pass (there seem to be opposition from the funeral industry and the Catholic Church), aside from writing to my state representatives, what else can I do to support it?
2) It is already legal in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont. If you've planned for or participated in making such funeral arrangements, what has been the experience like for you?
1) Aside from setting a Google Alert, how do I know if and when the law will pass? And if it doesn't pass (there seem to be opposition from the funeral industry and the Catholic Church), aside from writing to my state representatives, what else can I do to support it?
2) It is already legal in Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Vermont. If you've planned for or participated in making such funeral arrangements, what has been the experience like for you?
Best answer: Caitlyn Doughty/Ask a Mortician/Human Composting
Hello, This link is from Caitlyn Doughty's YouTube channel called Ask A Mortician. Caitlyn is very active in the legislation movement for California for human composting, and plans to be composted when she dies. The particular clip walks the viewers through the composting process.
I am sure Caitlyn will be able to give you the latest information on human composting and where it will be available in California. Her business is called Clarity Funerals, and is based in Los Angeles, but she has lots of connections all over the place to assist people.
I hope this is helpful information.
posted by effluvia at 6:11 AM on August 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Hello, This link is from Caitlyn Doughty's YouTube channel called Ask A Mortician. Caitlyn is very active in the legislation movement for California for human composting, and plans to be composted when she dies. The particular clip walks the viewers through the composting process.
I am sure Caitlyn will be able to give you the latest information on human composting and where it will be available in California. Her business is called Clarity Funerals, and is based in Los Angeles, but she has lots of connections all over the place to assist people.
I hope this is helpful information.
posted by effluvia at 6:11 AM on August 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
I also came in here to say follow Caitlyn Doughty, or her mortuary, Clarity Funerals. Note that they do already offer "natural burial" out in Joshua Tree which is the closest you can currently get in CA to simple decomposition (no embalming, no concrete vault, simple shroud covering the body, etc.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:54 AM on August 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by BlahLaLa at 6:54 AM on August 24, 2022 [1 favorite]
Best answer: At a state or local level, you might get in touch with or involved with whomever regulates the funeral industry. In CA it seems to be the Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. I'd recommend calling them and chatting to see if they have a point of view about natural organic reduction (NOR, human composting) before leaping in. Many organizations like this sprang up as pro-regulation, pro-business organizations, and it's difficult to tell where they fall on openness to new methods. I have no idea about CFB as a particular entity.
Recompose, the organization that launched the first NOR funeral home (and mentioned in the article you link), is acting directly to enable NOR in other states and does some work on public awareness and policy change. Here are their basics on the CA law. Occasionally they have letter writing campaigns. I recommend getting in touch with them to see if there's anyone heading up the effort in CA or just to ask what you can do as an individual. I don't have any direct connection to Recompose, but my sense is that they're an organization that is open to questions and conversations. You could also ask what the typical experience is like for people who choose to use them as their disposition/funeral provider.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:52 AM on August 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Recompose, the organization that launched the first NOR funeral home (and mentioned in the article you link), is acting directly to enable NOR in other states and does some work on public awareness and policy change. Here are their basics on the CA law. Occasionally they have letter writing campaigns. I recommend getting in touch with them to see if there's anyone heading up the effort in CA or just to ask what you can do as an individual. I don't have any direct connection to Recompose, but my sense is that they're an organization that is open to questions and conversations. You could also ask what the typical experience is like for people who choose to use them as their disposition/funeral provider.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:52 AM on August 24, 2022 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: It's been passed!
posted by judypjhsu at 10:25 PM on September 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
posted by judypjhsu at 10:25 PM on September 19, 2022 [1 favorite]
This thread is closed to new comments.
The California legislature has a web site for reviewing current and past legislation and it has the option to notify you when the status of a particular piece of legislation changes. Go to leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. The LA Times article mentions that the legislation is Assembly Bill 351. If you enter "AB351" into the Quick Bill Search "Bill Number" field and click "Go" you will be sent to the page for AB351. On that page you can review the text of the bill, current status, history, etc. If you click the "Track Bill" link you can subscribe to be notified when the status of the bill changes. Before you do that you'll need to create an account. Create an account by clicking "login" and then "Registration". After completing the process of creating an account, return to the leginfo.legislature.ca.gov home page. On the home page re-enter "AB351" and then click the "Track Bill" link.
posted by RichardP at 11:09 PM on August 23, 2022 [2 favorites]