California legalizes 'human composting'

Source: https://bit.ly/3SetB7O
A new California law allows human cadavers to potentially be used
as garden soil in growing food for human consumption, drawing
criticism from the Golden State's Catholic bishop's conference.
On Sunday, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 351, known
as The Cemetery and Funeral Act, which establishes a framework
to license and regulate a process for cemeteries and other similar
facilities in which dead human bodies are converted into soil.
Known as natural organic reduction (NOR), the approach involves
placing bodies into vessels that resemble human coffins and then
transforming the remains into "nutrient-dense soil," according to
Democratic Assemblymember Cristina Garcia of Bell Gardens,
who authored the bill.
The NOR process involves the body of a deceased person being
mixed with natural materials and air in a "reduction chamber,"
where the body is periodically turned, eventually resulting in the
body's reduction to a soil material.
Human remains are held together with straw, wood chips or other
natural materials inside of a large tank, container or similar vessel
until the process is complete.
NOR is considered to be more environmentally friendly than
a traditional burial - "which can leach chemicals into the ground"
- or cremation, according to Garcia.
AB 351 does not prohibit the use of any material derived from the
NOR process to be sold or used as soil to grow food for human
consumption. It's unclear whether that question would be addressed
under the proposed regulatory framework.
The bill, set to take effect in January 2027, would make California
the fifth state to legalize the process, following Colorado, Oregon,
Washington and Vermont. Colorado's law doesn't allow the soil to
be used for growing food meant for human consumption.
Celebrating the bill's passage on Facebook, Garcia referred to the
NOR process as "human composting" and said the process "saves
the equivalent of one metric ton of carbon from entering the
environment."
Garcia told CBS News that she hopes when the law does finally
go into effect, the human composting process will help mitigate
some of the extreme weather California has faced in recent years.
"Given the heat that we've been under, the drought, the wildfires
- we need to do everything and anything to reduce our carbon
emissions and create more eco-friendly options in all spaces," she
was quoted as saying.
Before the bill's signing, Garcia said she personally plans to take
advantage of AB 351 to "help with California's carbon footprint."
"I look forward to continuing my legacy to fight for clean air by
using my reduced remains to plant a tree," she added.
As Catholic leaders have voiced opposition to similar bills in other
states, the California Catholic Conference of Bishops (CCC) voiced
opposition to AB 351, saying the NOR process "reduces the human
body to simply a disposable commodity."
In a statement provided to The Christian Post, CCC Executive Director
Kathleen Domingo warned that beyond theological considerations,
there are ethical issues as well, namely the use of human remains
treated as a "mass grave."
"Dispersing the remains in public locations, without an advisory to
members of the public, risks people treading over human remains
without their knowledge while repeated dispersions in the same area
are tantamount to a mass grave," said Domingo.
While composting human remains is a relatively new trend, a 2016
study found Americans' preference for cremation has jumped to just
over half (50.2%).
According to the National Funeral Director's Association, the
projected cremation rate for 2025 is 63.3%
Amid the ongoing debate over whether Christians should cremate
or bury the dead, burial remains a preferred method for some because
of the Christian concept of the coming resurrection at the end of the
age.
However, Evangelical leader, pastor and Desiring God founder John
Piper has stated that he believes that cremation can sometimes be an
acceptable practice.
In an episode of "Ask Pastor John," a listener inquired about the
ethics of cremation in relation to donating one's body to science.
While Piper previously stated his opposition to cremation, he
signaled support for donating one's organs to science after death.
A listener specifically asked the Bible teacher his opinion on
whether cremation was an acceptable practice after a person had given
their organs to science.
"If we act from faith, it can be a beautiful act of love for Christians
to donate their organs and tissues for medical use," Piper replied.
"Yes, cremation, while not ideal, may carry new meaning under those
circumstances."