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Is Alkaline Hydrolysis Legal in Every State?
According to the map supplied by the Cremation Association of North America, shown below, alkaline hydrolysis of human remains is currently legal in 19 states. They include: However, in many […]
According to the map supplied by the Cremation Association of North America, shown below, alkaline hydrolysis of human remains is currently legal in 19 states.
They include:
- Alabama
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Georgia
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Maine
- Maryland
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- Oregon
- Utah
- Washington
- Wyoming
However, in many cases, it was made legal by changing the definition of cremation rather than by legalizing the process itself. According to Barbara Kemmis, the Executive Director of the Cremation Association of North America, these states broadened the meaning of cremation to include any “mechanical or thermal or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments,” in order to allow alkaline hydrolysis to occur legally there. CANA also adopted that definition in 2013.
With that being said, CANA estimates that 1% of all cremations in North America are carried out through alkaline hydrolysis. And, according to a 2019 survey conducted by the National Funeral Directors Association, only 7.5% of those who responded were aware of alkaline hydrolysis. This could be a reflection of several issues:
- Alkaline hydrolysis is not widely available. As of this writing, facilities are available in only 15 states.
- Religious objections. A number of religious leaders have voiced objections to alkaline hydrolysis. For example, in 2008, the Catholic Conference of Ohio was successful in helping to defeat an effort to legalize the practice, saying, “Dissolving bodies in a vat of chemicals and pouring the resultant liquid down the drain is not a respectful way to dispose of human remains.” However, other Catholic leaders have deemed the practice “morally neutral.”
- The “ick” factor. Many people simply find the idea of dissolving a body in a vat of lye aesthetically repugnant. This is an issue of public perception, of course, and may dissipate with time. At one time, the public reacted the same way to the idea of FIRE CREMATION, which is now the most popular form of FINAL DISPOSITION in the U.S.
Sources
“What do you know about alkaline hydrolysis?” Cremation Association of North America. https://www.cremationassociation.org/blogpost/776820/313847/What-do-you-know-about-Alkaline-Hydrolysis?hhSearchTerms=%22alkaline+and+hydrolysis%22&terms=
