The Law Commission is an independent body which reviews laws in England and Wales and makes recommendations for reforms.
The consultation paper looks at a range of new funerary methods, including alkaline hydrolysis and human composting. It explores how other countries have regulated these newer methods, and how they might be regulated in the UK.
Alkaline hydrolysis, also called water cremation or aquamation, which has a lower environmental footprint than traditional flame cremation, has been used in Canada, the USA and some other countries for more than a decade.
There has been considerable discussion about making alkaline hydrolysis possible in the UK, but it is currently outside the legal framework for funerary methods. The Law Commission consultation seeks to explore this, and other new funerary methods, further.
The importance of language when it comes to the dead
At the start of the consultation paper, the Law Commission talks about terminology, and in particular the language of ‘disposal’ that is part of current laws on burial and cremation.
At Poppy’s, we don’t use the term ‘disposal’. Instead, we describe the options - burial or cremation.
Language is a topic that we have been pleased to engage with the Law Commission on over recent years, and in section 1 point 39 of the consultation, the report says:
“We have sought to avoid some other forms of language where we are aware they can cause offence or be viewed as problematic. For example, rather than “the deceased”, we prefer “deceased people”, “deceased person” or other formulations. Similarly, we do not use the phrase “loved one”, which presupposes how people feel about the person who has died. Although many would see the term “loved one” as appropriate in individual circumstances, for some the relationship with the deceased may make the term inappropriate. We are indebted to the “#DeadGoodWords” campaign started by Poppy’s Funeral Directors for their steer on careful consideration of our language in this project.”
“This is a powerful recognition of an issue we know matters: there is a clearer and kinder way to talk about the dead,” says Poppy’s CEO, Clare Montagu. “It’s been encouraging to see a tangible change in the use of language in recent years. But there’s still so much to do across the funeral sector. That’s why it’s fantastic that the Law Commission has reflected on its use of language, and we’re grateful to see Poppy’s acknowledged for our contribution.”
Language matters. Using clearer, more human language about the dead can support better and more open practices across the funeral sector. For the Law Commission to acknowledge the importance of language is a powerful signal that the funeral sector should be ready for reform. Poppy’s welcomes this.
#DeadGoodWords – the campaign for kinder language about the dead
Poppy’s launched the Dead Good Words campaign in 2023 to drive discussion about the use of opaque and dehumanising language in the funeral sector.
Here are some of the words we don’t use with our clients – and what we say instead.
Disposal
This term is still used in law to describe what happens to someone’s body after they have died. Instead, you can describe the options —burial or cremation.
Deceased
The person had a name in life which you can still use after death. If that’s not an option, you can simply say: the person who has died, he, she, they, your relative, your friend, your mum/ dad/son/daughter etc.
Loved one
As with deceased, calling someone by their name is much more personal. Loved one also prejudges how someone might feel about the person who has died — relationships are complicated.
Hygienic treatment
No way! It’s embalming. Embalming is an invasive process of replacing a person’s bodily fluids with chemicals, usually formaldehyde, in order to delay the natural changes which come with death.
Removal
A funeral director is not a removal company helping you move house. We are collecting people, not furniture. It is a collection and we are bringing someone into our care.
Committing suicide
This unhelpful language dates from the time when suicide was a crime. Instead say died by suicide or took their own life.
Facial, or facial procedure
This may sound soothing, but it actually refers to an invasive procedure where the person’s mouth is sutured closed and caps are inserted under their eyelids.
Viewing
You aren’t going to look at a flat or test drive a car. You are visiting or spending time with the person who has died, just as you might have done when they were alive.
A fresh approach to funerals
Poppy’s is committed to improving the quality of funeral care for all. We contributed to seminars with the funeral sector in support of the Fuller Inquiry, which was set up following the conviction of David Fuller for sexual assaults on dead women and girls in the mortuaries of the hospitals where he worked. We were quoted in the Fuller Inquiry Phase 2 interim report.
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