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What in Cremation is Going on?: A Christian Guide to Post Mortem Decisions

As a lady was throwing ashes on their frozen lake, her neighbor asked: “What are you doing?” “I am putting these ashes on the ice,” she replied. “Why don’t you get your husband to do that?” he enquired. “This is my husband!” she declared! More and more people are opting for cremation. There is little doubt that cremation has become more popular in the Western countries since the mid–twentieth century. There are now around 2,000 crematoria in the United States. Combined together they perform over one million cremations each year. Most hospitals use cremation to dispose of fetuses that die from a miscarriage. Dr. Kenneth Iserson says, “Nearly all U. S. hospitals routinely cremate fetal remains with other tissue specimens. If requested, they will usually return fetal remains to the parents for burial.” In most states a fetal death requires a Certificate of Death especially if the fetus was older than 20 weeks. People who use cremation are mostly younger professionals who do not practice a religion. Mainstream Protestants are more likely to use cremation than Catholics, Jews or Fundamentalists. Cremation is usually done because the deceased, not the family, requested or desired it. Men are more prone to cremate their wives. Men and children are usually not as likely to be cremated. According to most studies, the United States has seen a steady increase in the practice of cremation. In 1970 slightly over 4 percent of U. S. deaths resulted in cremation. In 1975, 7 percent of deaths were handled by cremation. By 1985 it rose to 15 percent. According to the Cremation Association of North America (CANA) projections for 2015 are now at 44 percent. Projections for 2025 are as high as 56 percent. That is more than one half of all deaths in the United States may result in cremation. Rates vary from state to state. However, the top five states with the highest cremation rates are California, Florida, Texas, New York and Pennsylvania the bottom states with the lowest cremation rates are Mississippi, Alabama Kentucky, Louisiana

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