Next, the FTC implements the ‘Funeral Rule’. In 1984, the Federal Trade Commission established the Funeral Rule as a national standard for funeral home practices. The rule requires funeral homes to provide customers with price lists of goods and services (Polter 29).The Funeral Rule was designed to ensure that “consumers have access to sufficient information…” (“Are Consumers Getting Fair Funeral Deals?” 19). In addition, it banned the bundling of goods and services, thereby enabling consumers to pick and choose only those items they want, and prohibited misrepresentations “used to influence consumers’ decisions on which goods and services to purchase” (“Are Consumers Getting Fair Funeral Deals?” 19). Some funeral home directors were able to …show more content…
Some families prefer the high cost of a traditional casket funeral to allow the body to physically be there for burial. However, it usually costs more to bury a casket rather than an urn. Funeral homes and crematories can’t require a casket for immediate cremations, but they can require inexpensive, alternative containers (Consumer Reports 28). These funeral homes must inform consumers about these containers. Consumers must also be given a price list of the services the homes offer. A typical no-frills funeral and burial in the United States costs from $6,000 to $10,000 uses formaldehyde in embalming, nondegradable steel caskets, and concrete vaults placed shoulder to shoulder in established cemeteries (Smith 56-60). Embalming is usually not necessary unless the body will be shown off. Embalming fluid is unnatural and many modern cemeteries and homes are being to shun this practice. A green cemetery usually does not allow these traits of a typical funeral and burial, and only allow natural caskets in their cemeteries. Burial in a green or natural cemetery, on the other hand, can cost half as much (Smith 56-60). Some green cemeteries double as parks, while others have stations where you can learn about the land and nature there. In these cemeteries, only biodegradable caskets or burial shrouds are used. The first burial at Ramsey Creek Preserve occured in the fall of 1998 (Smith 56-60). A casket burial there only costs $2,500 and burial of cremated remains $500. Stone grave markers are only $25, and engraving ranges from $125 to $300. This cemetery is becoming increasingly popular, and is one of the top 100 places to visit in
Ever take a midnight train to Georgia? No, well ever drive through Georgia? When driving through Georgia on State Road 49, there is a little town called Andersonville that is very easy to miss. To many it is just another town. Yet this town has its own trail. The Andersonville Trail is a small brown dirt road that leads visitors to the Andersonville National Historic Site (Roberts xi). This National Historic Site looks like a “well- tended” national cemetery. On closer examination, this cemetery is nothing like Arlington (Roberts xi). “In this national cemetery, the marble headstones are so close together, they almost touch. The markers appear to be one long head...
Since each funeral home is for the majority independent, the “leader” is either the owner or the manager. The position is achieved th...
Can I do this?” Aside from the broad question of death’s profitability being ethical there is the question of are the practices within the business ethical and up to standard? The business of disposing of the deceased hasn’t always been an established one. Multiple times throughout history, people have taken advantage of people’s grief when a loved one has died and this was done in many ways. Some people would simply claim they buried their loved ones when in reality they dumped their bodies off elsewhere. Others would claim that they are caring for their loved ones dead body in a funeral home when in reality they are neglecting the body and taking your money. Luckily, in modern times we don’t typically have these issues well not as much as we use to anyway. Now, instead, we have different problems, the main one being that Morticians will typically offer the premium options available for their services before any other ones. This often used tactic is in clear violation of the Federal Trade Commission’s rule which states that funeral homes must show a price listing of caskets and other services (small business). These Morticians see that this person is in significant grief over the death of their loved one and will take advantage
The kings of the middle ages initially created the position of a coroner to investigate the suspicious deaths of people and also to collect the death tax on the deceased’s estate. In the United States, we have two positions that work in the field of death investigating, obviously the coroner and the medical examiner. These positions are widely different in how they run. To be a medical examiner, one must have many years of experience in medical school, and they must be board-approved. However, for a coroner’s position, the people in the state elect a campaigning candidate, and that candidate does not need to have any medical experience. Both of these positions perform autopsies and deal with the suspiciously deceased, however they both have incredibly different requirements. Over the past decade, the necessity of the coroner’s position came into discussion among the field. According to those who wish to kill the job, the coroner’s position does not seem to have sufficient standards for all that the job entails. However, eliminating the coroner jobs from the departments will be tremendously inefficient for all the people involved in that
Currently, in the United States, 12% of states including Vermont, Oregon, and California have legalized the Right to Die. This ongoing debate whether or not to assist in death with patients who have terminal illness has been and is still far from over. Before continuing, the definition of Right to Die is, “an individual who has been certified by a physician as having an illness or physical condition which can be reasonably be expected to result in death in 24 months or less after the date of the certification” (Terminally Ill Law & Legal Definition 1). With this definition, the Right to die ought to be available to any person that is determined terminally ill by a professional, upon this; with the request of Right to Die, euthanasia must be
“In most human society's death is an extremely important cultural and social phenomenon, sometimes more important than birth” (Ohnuki-Tierney, Angrosino, & Daar et al. 1994). In the United States of America, when a body dies it is cherished, mourned over, and given respect by the ones that knew the person. It is sent to the morgue and from there the family decides how the body should be buried or cremated based on...
When someone dies their bones are burned and crushed into ash and consumed by the relatives. It puts a persons soul at peace to find a resting place within their family, it would be an abomination to bury them in the ground. Once this ceremony is finished the person is gone. Their name or person is never to be mentioned again.
In the case, Perry Funeral Home also entered into preneed funeral contracts where payment was received in advance of the goods and services being provided. Perry was also mandated by state law to provide refunds at the buyer’s request. The Tax Court ruled in favor of the taxpayer stating that payments received under preneed funeral contracts are includable in gross income only upon the provision of the goods and services. Perry Funeral Home, Inc. v. Commissioner, 86 TCM 713 (2003). This case has not been cited in another case, but heavily relies upon the ruling in Indianapolis Power & Light. This case is significant for Morbid because it extensively deals with income recognition of preneed funeral contracts, and it took place in the Tax Court. Morbid will have an opportunity to take their case to Tax Court as well if they cannot work out the disagreement internally with the IRS, and they receive a 90 day
Oftentimes when one hears the term Physician Assisted Suicide (hereafter PAS) the words cruel and unethical come to mind. On October 27, 1997 Oregon passed the Death with Dignity Act, this act would allow terminally ill Oregon residents to end their lives through a voluntary self-administered dose of lethal medications that are prescribed by a physician (Death with Dignity Act) . This has become a vital, medical and social movement. Having a choice should mean that a terminally ill patient is entitled to the choice to pursue PAS. If people have the right to refuse lifesaving treatments, such as chemo and palliative care, then the choice of ending life with PAS should be a choice that is allowed.
The second possibility about the burial is just as creepy. Some families cannot afford the cost of the funeral, so they put the deceased into a temporary coffin. Once the money is raised, the corpse has to be raised and walk to their new resting place. Sometimes it may take years for the family to raise the money. Hence the Walking Dead of Indonesia.
Horkan, Thomas. "Legislation That Complicates Dying." Eds. Gary McCuen and Therese Boucher. Hudson: Gary McCuen Publications, 1985. 69-72.
“Euthanasia is defined as a deliberate act undertaken by one person with the intention of ending life of another person to relieve that person's suffering and where the act is the cause of death.”(Gupta, Bhatnagar and Mishra) Some define it as mercy killing. Euthanasia may be voluntary, non voluntary and involuntary. When terminally ill patient consented to end his or her life, it is called voluntary euthanasia. Non voluntary euthanasia occurs when the suffering person never consented nor requested to end a life. These patients are incompetent to decide because they are either minor, in a comatose stage or have mental conditions. Involuntary euthanasia is conducted when it is against the will of the patient (Gupta, Bhatnagar, Mishra). Euthanasia can be either passive or active. Passive euthanasia means life-sustaining treatments are withheld and nothing is done to keep the patient alive. Active euthanasia occurs when a physician do something by giving drugs or substances that ends a patient’s life. (Medical News Today)
According to the textbook, memorial services are becoming increasingly popular in many Protestant churches. This coincides with my family’s faith; we belong to a local Presbyterian church. The memorial will take place at The West Metro Chapel, part of the cremation package through Newcomer Funeral Homes and Crematory. This will reduce the costs significantly, consolidating the facility rental fee to only $675. Considering their will be no open casket or closed casket display the cremation will take place shortly after death, making the date of the service more flexible ensuring everyone who wants to attend the service can make it. Cremating the body will also be universally ideal for any condition the body is in from the cause of
In As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner, the coffin is an important inanimate object. After the death of Addie Bundren, the Bundren family embarks on a 40-mile journey to Jefferson to respect her wish to be buried there. Cash Bundren builds the coffin while Addie is dying, the coffin goes through many obstacles with the Bundrens during the journey, and the overall objective of the journey is to bury the coffin. Although the coffin literally serves as a box that contains the corpse of Addie, the coffin also serves as the central symbol of the family's love and gratitude towards her as well as their instability.
In a witnessed cremation where you view the process, the cost is about $20 - $30.