Legislators in Sacramento may vote on a measure expanding after-death options for Californians, CalMatters has reported.
The bill, AB-501, introduced by state Assembly Member Cristina Garcia, would legalize a concept known as "natural organic reduction," or the composting of human remains.
A company called Recompose developed the science and technology behind human composting. It starts with placing the body in a special composting container, with organic plant material layered on top. Within the sealed container, microbes and bacteria feed on organic matter as they would in nature.
Over the course of 30 days, the body is reduced to soil, which, after a two-week aeration process, is suitable for use in growing plants.
"The idea of returning to Earth is somewhat metaphorical, whereas natural organic production offers a literal return to the earth," a spokesperson for Recompose told CalMatters.
Several other states have already legalized the process, including Washington in 2019, Colorado and Oregon this year. New York's state legislature is presently considering a similar bill.
Assembly Member Garcia has acknowledged that the concept of human composting may be a little creepy, if not downright offensive to some Californians—especially those who follow specific religious doctrines when it comes to burying the dead.
Similar legislation in other states has come up against substantial resistance from the Catholic Church, for example.
Joseph Sprague, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, wrote in a letter to The Los Angeles Times that "disposing of human remains in such manner fails to show enough respect for the body of the deceased."
The New York State Catholic Conference, in opposition to the human composting bill before its own state legislature, expressed concerns in a statement over "a great many New Yorkers who would be uncomfortable at beast with this proposed composting/fertilizing method, which is more appropriate for vegetable trimmings and eggshells than for human bodies."
Assembly Member Garcia told CalMatters that she does not see the measure as an imposition on religious communities in California. "My duty is to allow individuals to have choices to do what's best for them," she said.
Despite protestations from certain religious factions, Rory Cowal of Portland, Oregon, where human composting is legal, told Religions News Service that he feels process is in fact quite spiritual. "It provides a profound and spiritually grounded close to a life story," he said. "A return to the land that sustained us in life."
A hearing date for AB-501 is scheduled in the California Senate Appropriations Committee for Aug. 16.