Saturday, July 10, 2010

Carbon Police taking it too far

I just stumbled across this article out of Belgium.

The EU is reviewing proposals from Belgian undertakers who wish to dissolve bodies in caustic solutions instead of cremating them. The undertakers claim that 573lbs of Carbon Dioxide is released with each cremated corpse.

Eww. To me this is a sanctity of life issue. This kind of treatment of a body seems disrespectful to the person who once occupied that body.

8 comments:

  1. This is a perfect illustration of how insane the Marxist driven environmental movement has become.

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  2. Gah! This is disgusting and alarming.

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  3. I don't know how I feel about this. I mean, I know that the reasoning behind it is just plain stupid. Carbon emissions...pfffft! But, burial space in small countries is likely a real concern.

    I could see something like this being offered voluntarily to families of the deceased. From what the article says, the remains are very similar to what is left after cremation.

    I don't know. I am a body donor. When I croak, my body is headed straight to the LSU Health Sciences Center to become somebody's surgery practice. I have told my wife to just have me cremated after they are finished, and she can chunk the ashes where she wants. Or, if she doesn't want to mess with it, just have them dispose of it.

    I'm not one to be really concerned about corpses myself. But, certainly respect others that are, and understand why. I guess I don't really find the caustic soda bath deal much different than cremation. I'm not really disgusted by it.

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  4. I respect your argument, Andy. I am an organ donor and then wish to be cremated. But something about dissolving someone's soft tissues, grinding up their bones and pouring them down the drain creeps me out.

    It really starts to feel like a respect for life issue, especially when I take into account their "carbon footprint" concerns. In today's political climate, anything that appears to devalue life scares me.

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  5. Kristin, I respect your position, too. In fact, I respect all positions on disposal of human remains.

    My goodness, I have some kinfolk that would literally come to pieces over cremation. You have met people that are literally almost worshipful of the corpse of some beloved one. And, I can certainly understand! In fact, I could see my own position shift if I lost say, one of my children. That would be some deep soul searching, that I hope I never have to do.

    And, I'm with you 100% on the carbon footprint foolishness. The world is half-mad...maybe more than half.

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  6. Some believe that the soul travels from the body to heaven over a more protracted time than the moment of death. Hence the perserving of the body for at least some length of time. Ultimately, the disposal of one's body belongs to the decision of that person and his/her family, not to the laws of the land. Beyond the carbon footprint, this is a beginning of our loss of physical freedom. What do we truly own but our own bodies and souls?

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  7. With the new healthcare law, don't fool yourself that you own your own body.

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