Update 7/25/23: The July 26 Hearing was cancelled 7/21/23. The Public Health Committee has now postponed the hearing until at least September (the exact date to be determined). You may still send in WRITTEN testimony to the Committee and reach out to potential co-sponsors of these bills. When the Hearing is scheduled, we’ll post a new update.
We have an opportunity to support proposed legislation that would legalize two “greener” options for after-death care: Alkaline Hydrolysis (water cremation) and Natural Organic Reduction (human composting). Next Wednesday, July 26, 2023, House Bill (H2193) and the Senate Bill (S1339) are included in a PUBLIC HEARING of the Joint Committee on Public Health.
You may submit written comments now and/or register to give brief testimony in person in Boston. Written comments may be of any length; in-person comments limited to 3 minutes.
Note: WRITTEN testimony is encouraged and will continue to be accepted after the hearing until the relevant bill is acted upon. Such testimony may be submitted via email; please include “Public Health Committee Testimony, H2193/S1339” in the subject line of the email, and send to JointCommittee.PublicHealth@malegislature.gov.
Additionally, until the bills are reported from the Joint Committee on Public Health, we can grow the list of co-sponsors, thus helping to boost the legislation’s momentum this session. For convenience, here is sample wording for a Co-Sponsor request:
Dear [REPRESENTATIVE OR SENATOR],
I hope you will co-sponsor H2193/S1339, An Act expanding after-death care options. This legislation will add natural organic reduction and alkaline hydrolysis as permissible forms of disposition under the Mass General Law. Alkaline hydrolysis is currently legal in twenty-seven states, and natural organic reduction is legal in six: Washington, Colorado, Oregon, California, Vermont, and New York.
Thank you for your attention to this legislation.
[NAME] [ADDRESS]
Adding your own personal story, why you support adding these options, would be helpful.