California legalizes human composting bill against opposition by Catholic bishops
Free to live and to die?
Several state legislatures are now allowing a new method of dealing with human remains. Whereas in the past the options were burial, cremation and alkaline hydrolysis, now human composting has been approved. This method has created controversy about the proper disposal and appreciation of human remains. The method involves a body being placed in a reusable vessel, and then covered with wood chips and aerated. This creates an environment for microbes and essential bacteria and over a span of about 30 days the body is fully transformed into soil.
In California the legislation was introduced by Democratic State Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia, who considers this as an environmental issue and as a part of her fight for clean air. Faith groups have opposed the change, seeing it an attempt to reduce the human body to a disposable commodity
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