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How To Conduct Your Own Funeral
Did you know that if a member of your family died and you decided to bury the body on your own farm that in many areas of North America you would be guilty of a crime?
Many people would rather handle their own dead, both for emotional and for financial reasons. Turning a loved one's body over to an impersonal fu
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How To Conduct Your Own Funeral SPECIALTY/SERVICES Specialty/Services 22-1-5 Did you know that if a member of your family died and you decided to bury the body on your own farm that in many areas of North America you would be guilty of a crime?
Many people would rather handle their own dead, both for emotional and for financial reasons. Turning a loved one's body over to an impersonal funeral home for a fee of thou-sands of dollars just doesn't sit right with a growing number of people.
FARM SHOW has reported in the past on the efforts of Reverend Forrest Hayes who publishes do-it-yourself manuals (geared to each local area) on how to conduct your own funeral without running afoul of the law (Contact: Burial, P.O. Box 1402, Middlebury, Ind. 46540).
We recently heard about another group, the non-profit Funeral and Memorial Societies of America (FAMSA) based in Hinesburg, Vt., which is dedicated to promoting a "consumer's right to choose a meaningful, dignified and affordable funeral". FAMSA has made it its business to monitor the funeral industry full-time.
The group points out that the U.S. and Canada are the only countries in the world where embalming is widely promoted. "It is rarely done in most other developed countries. Visitations can be held for 2 to 3 days with no danger to the public before a body must be embalmed or buried," it says.
FAMSA can provide detailed information about how to care for your own dead which is permitted in 42 states and all Canadian provinces if you follow certain procedures. For instance, in many areas you can bury your own dead but you still need to have a funeral director in attendance to super-vise. And to bury on your own land, zoning clearances may be required.
A new, comprehensive, 450-page handbook, "Caring For The Dead", will be available from FAMSA next fall. The group already has a web site in operation.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Funeral and Memorial Societies of America, P.O. Box 10, Hinesburg, Vt. 05461 (ph 800 765-0107 or 802 482-3437; fax 5246; website http:/ /www.funerals.org/famsa).
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