When someone dies, what happens to their body? The body is not just a vessel for the personality. It’s a living entity with its own needs and desires. When someone dies, the body must be treated with dignity and respect.
The human body is an amazing thing that deserves our attention and care. It should not be simply discarded when we die because it has so much to offer to society. We should treat the deceased with respect and dignity by giving them a proper burial or cremation service.
There are, however, other options you may not have considered for the body of your loved one or even yourself after you die. In this article, we’ll explore the options for bodies after death, including traditional burials, cremations, and donating your body to science.
Traditional Burials
A traditional burial is the act of burying a deceased person in a cemetery. The body is placed in a coffin, which is then lowered into the ground by pallbearers.
A traditional burial can be seen as an expensive affair, and this is often the case with people who don’t have the financial means or access to healthcare that would allow them to die at home or hospital.
The cost of a traditional burial can be between $5,000 and $10,000 and this can be costly for many families. This has led to more people opting for cremation over burial.
Cremations
Cremation is a process that involves cremating the body and then dispersing the ashes. The body is cremated in an oven or incinerator and the resulting combustion gases are used to heat water, which vaporizes the remains. The vaporized remains are then condensed back into a liquid, which is collected in urns or urn niches.
The process of cremation can vary depending on what type of funeral you want. If you want a traditional service with graveside ceremonies and tombstones, you will need to cremate your loved one by yourself. However, if you want an environmentally-friendly funeral service with no burial, cremation is most likely your best option.
Donating Your Body to Science
In the United States, donating your body to science is a legal and ethical process. The body is donated to a medical institution with the hope that it can help advance medical research and provide insight into how diseases develop and progress.
If you are interested in donating your body to science, there are some things you should know about the process. You will be asked to sign a consent form, which states that you understand your body might be used for scientific purposes after death. If you want to donate your organs or tissues as well, you will need to sign an additional consent form.
Medical institutions then use your body, or that of your loved one, in scientific research to advance medicine. Some places will then cremate the body at no cost to you and then return the ashes to the family.
It can be a convenient funeral alternative as long as you are okay with the research aspect of this.
