{"id":4351,"date":"2016-07-18T09:43:43","date_gmt":"2016-07-18T13:43:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.talkdeath.com\/?p=4351"},"modified":"2022-12-19T10:36:15","modified_gmt":"2022-12-19T15:36:15","slug":"can-i-have-a-tibetan-sky-burial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/talkdeath.com\/can-i-have-a-tibetan-sky-burial\/","title":{"rendered":"Can I Have a Tibetan Sky Burial?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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One of the most common questions that I hear about the law of human remains is whether a person can choose a method of disposition other than burial or cremation in the United States. On Episode #5 of our\u00a0#TalkDeath web series<\/span><\/a>, Lee Webster and I were asked about the legality of Tibetan sky burial, having a body mummified or rendered into an articulated skeleton and displayed in a home, or, my personal favorite, a Viking funeral (aka, House of Tully funeral to Game of Thrones<\/em> fans).<\/p>\n

The answer, sadly, is no.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Can

Zoroastrian Tower of Silence<\/p><\/div>\n

Can I Have a Tibetan Sky Burial?<\/h2>\n

There are two reasons why you can’t have a Tibetan Sky Burial in America. First, many states explicitly limit the approved methods of disposition of human remains. Second, most states criminalize certain treatment of human remains that is inconsistent with prevailing social norms.<\/p>\n

Okay, sure, but how would they find out if I did something different?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In my book The Law of Human Remains<\/u><\/a> (2015)\u2014available on the publisher\u2019s website<\/a><\/span> and on Amazon<\/a><\/span>\u2014I discuss both of these areas of law in more detail and list all of the relevant statutes. Here is a brief synopsis and a few examples.
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