New York legalizes 'human composting' as religious groups raise the alarm

New York became the sixth state to legalize "human composting," the practice of transforming bodies into soil that has raised concerns amongst religious groups. 

Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation over the weekend to add "natural organic reduction" alongside cremation and burial on the list of acceptable ways to lay human remains to rest. 

California, Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and Washington have already legalized the practice, which proponents tout as more environmentally friendly than burial or cremation.

Recompose, a Seattle funeral home that offers human composting, describes the process as the "gentle transformation of a human body into soil." This is done by placing bodies into stainless steel reusable vessels with wood chips, alfalfa and straw to decompose for at least six weeks.

Remaining tooth and bone fragments are ground into smaller parts and the body is returned to family members as soil. 

The New York State Catholic Conference condemned the new burial legislation, stating on Monday that bishops "regret" that Hochul has signed the legislation and "do not believe the process meets the standard of reverent treatment of earthly remains."

Catholic Conference Executive Director Dennis Poust said burial is preferred while cremation and burial is considered an acceptable alternative. 

"Just as Church teaching prohibits the scattering or dividing of cremated remains, it would not permit the spreading of composted human remains co-mingled with other organic matter to fertilize a garden," he wrote.

In Islam and Judaism, bodies are washed, shrouded and buried as quickly as possible without embalming. Grinding bones, such as in the composting and cremation processes, is forbidden by leaders in both religions.

"The idea of ‘utilizing’ a body as a growth medium is anathema to the honor due to a vessel that once held a human spirit," Rabbi Avi Shafran, an public affairs director at America's top Orthodox group, Agudath Israel of America, told the outlet Forward.