Not everyone will live to be a centenarian, individuals aged 100 and above, and it’s important to know what happens to a person’s body once they’ve died. One of the ways an individual can be prepared is by taking out a life insurance policy. Life insurance or end-of-life insurance will cover the expenses that come with dying, like funerals, cremations, or grave plots. This makes it unlike other insurances, such as employment-based health insurance, a system in which an employer pays all or part of the health insurance premiums for the employee or government insurance aids because the individual is putting toward money themselves.
Aquamation, also called alkaline hydrolysis, is the process of cremating a body with water and alkalinity instead of flames. Initially, aquamation was for pets that had passed, but the technology has expanded to be adapted for humans. While not a new process — Minnesota was the first to legalize aquamation in 2006 — it has been steadily growing traction in political and social spheres. So far, 18 states have legalized alkaline hydrolysis, while many others have bills proposed or laws pending. For citizens of New Jersey, their remains are transported to Maine in the form of medical tourism, the practice of traveling to another country or state to seek healthcare, to have their remains cremated through the process of aquamation.
There is a serious increase in deprofessionalism, a decline in the power of a profession, among health care providers, medical examiners, and funeral directors. Through misinformation, mistrust, and the readily available internet making individuals aware of their symptoms and what they could have contracted, the deprofessionalism of doctors has grown. Shows like Buried by the Bernards on Netflix or news stories about funeral homes mistreating bodies make people weary of end-of-life plans. While there is a 12.6 percent growth in funeral and mortuary science degrees, people still don’t know the difference between an embalmer, a medical examiner, and a mortician. These instances make the professions of health care and funerary services lack prestige and power when they are important careers a majority of society will interact with.
Aquamation has sustainability, the idea that current and future generations should have equal to greater access to social, economic, and environmental resources, in mind. The process is extremely environmentally friendly compared to flame cremation and embalming. In typical flame cremations, an individual’s body waits three days before being burned for about two to two-and-a-half hours. There are many environmental issues that politicians and funeral directors alike are trying to combat. The flame cremation process’ energy consumption consists of fossil fuels. It produces air pollutants like carbon monoxide and greenhouse gasses, the majority being carbon dioxide, which is a large contributor to climate change, and mercury if an individual has teeth fillings or metal limbs.
