The current complacency of we human beings towards our own bodies has resulted in our giving away control of them while we are alive, to the medical establishment; and giving them away to funeral directors after we have died. I have been wading through a sea of legal jargon, trying to garner a basic understanding of words like probate, trust, and POA. Who knew that dying could leave behind a lengthy nightmare for our heirs and loved ones? I have undertaken the laborious task of setting up a will in order to ease the burdens that could befall my daughters after I am gone.
I had established in my book, Question Everything: Overcoming Passivity in a Perilous World, the astronomical profits made by funeral homes. An average funeral which includes embalming, viewing, and burial can run $8,000, or more. A casket alone costs $500 for a simple pine box, to as much as $20,000 for an elaborate one. The average cost of cremation runs about $7,000. Unclaimed bodies and homeless people are stored for 30 days before being cremated and buried in collective graves or unmarked plots, to lower the cost incurred by the government. In most cases, bodies are taken, from the home or the hospital or wherever the death occurred, to a morgue or mortuary where the body is kept refrigerated until funeral arrangements are implemented.
Every state has their own laws governing the disposal of corpses. There are in fact no laws requiring that a casket be used; however, most people are not aware that they can use a simple, biodegradable and eco-friendly fabric. Embalming is not necessary and can be declined as long as no viewing of the body is planned and burial or cremation is carried out promptly. This issue can be problematic though, if the body is to be transported across state lines and it requires a special permit.
An autopsy can be objected to on personal or religious grounds, but it can be ordered by law enforcement if it involves a suspicious death from which evidence can be gleaned. An autopsy is often required by insurance companies before they will relinquish life savings to the heirs.
It is legal to bury loved ones on private land in most states, but each state has its own criteria that must be followed. A funeral director may still be required to oversee the burial. A death certificate must be obtained and the death must be recorded with the county clerk.
I have finally managed to write my will and I went today with my witnesses to have it notarized. I had to sign and initial the documents in so many places that it was nearly as stressful as buying a house. Then I was told by the notary that my death would probably still require an attorney. It seems that even in our dying, others are determined to profit off of us. I intend to die peacefully, in my sleep and in my own bed. I also intend for my body to be treated with respect after I am dead – to be received gracefully back into the loving arms of Mother Earth, from which it came.
