Funeral Consumers Alliance

Randy, I think Mr. Sindric already knew that what he was going to do was legal. The problem was that he was the only one who knew. Lisa's book has some sad stories about people who have been denied their legal rights by all sorts of people. Even nurses, who should have no say whatsoever in what a person does with her loved one's remains, can throw a wrench into your perfectly legal plans. I highly recommend Lisa's book Further, if you are able to find a sensible clerk, who understands the law, you may find that clerk on holiday when the actual death occurs. Maybe a nurse won't let you out of the hospital. Maybe a traffic cop doesn't believe that your transit form is legal. So even going through channels before hand may not work for you. We need institutional change that provides for home burials. And if your entire plan is to have maximum privacy, then going to the newspapers is probably not your first choice. I hope that as more people get educated about their rights in these matters, that more become willing to sue for damages sustained as a result of not being allowed to care for their own loved one's bodies in the way that they see fit, and that more outrage ensues. But it's hard to sue when you're so sad. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Mr. Sindric's grief is being exacerbated by the loss of control he experienced after all that careful planning. Carolyn P.