Consumer Blog
Burial, cremation, other? It's your choice
A new Missouri law gives you more control over what is done with your body after your death. Do you want to be buried, cremated, body donated to science? The authority to make this decision is known in legalese as "right of sepulcher."
We have written before about the importance of naming a durable power of attorney (DPA). A DPA, or agent, is someone you name in a legal document to make medical decisions for you if can't speak for yourself. Under this new state law, the DPA has one additional power: right of sepulcher.
In the past, next-of-kin had the final say on this issue. So, in the past, if you chose cremation, your family could overrule you and your DPA and choose something else. But now your DPA will have the final say - so be sure to tell your DPA what you want.
For a complete look at end-of-life choices, check out AG Nixon's Life Choices publication. We've now given out more than 140,000 hard copies of this. That doesn't include the ones downloaded as PDFs.
Technorati Tags: end of life planning, life choices, right of sepulcher, durable power of attorney, moagoconsumer, consumer protection
Posted by on September 9, 2008 10:48 am :: Comments (1) :: Permalink
1 Response to "Burial, cremation, other? It's your choice"
says:
September 9, 2008 1:18 pm
I am a CPA and financial planner that specializes in helping families save money when making funeral arrangements. I recoomed that clients NOT inlcude their funeral wishes within their will. Too often the will is read and probated AFTER the funeral arrangements need to be made. Families should discuss their wishes ahead of time and appoint a designated agent (such as DPA mentioned in the above blog post) to handle the details.
