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The Environment Committee heard oral testimony on proposed committee bill 6257, An Act Concerning Terramation, on Monday.
A similar bill was also introduced last year to allow "human composting" in the state.
Of the 21 people who also offered written testimony, one-third opposed the move, with some calling it a "biohazard" and an "abomination" and an obvious public health issue.
A woman from Manchester, Cathy Ludlum, who described herself as "a dedicated recycler" wrote, "To me, bodies need to be treated with reverence, as they have once held a precious human life. The idea of turning our loved ones into fertilizer and mulch sickens me. I don’t think I am alone here."
"There are so many places here for things to go wrong," Ludlum cautioned. "What would prevent a homeowner from growing a vegetable garden enhanced by a relative’s remains, and either sharing the overflow with neighbors, or donating it to the local food pantry?" "What would prevent a farmer from using a parent’s remains to enhance the soil and then sell the produce to the supermarket?"
Stephen Mendelsohn once again shared his sentiments, writing, "HB 6257 seeks to promote human composting—the disposal of deceased human beings as if they were garbage to be recycled into soil and fertilizer."
"Reducing human bodies to soil and fertilizer through human composting reminds us of those of our martyrs whose bones were also turned into fertilizer, whose fat was turned into soap, and whose skin was flayed off and turned into lampshades," wrote Mendelsohn, who is Jewish and comes from a "tradition where natural burial in the earth upon death is a mitzvah—an obligation."
"As I have noted with previous bills on this issue, the clearest example of human composting infringing on the rights and dignity of others is the use of human compost as an agricultural and/or commercial product, particularly without the consent of others who would unknowingly derive benefit," Mendelsohn wrote. "We have testimony from the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardners Association (MOFGA) implying they wish to use human compost in organic farming, showing this is a pertinent issue."
MOFGA did indeed provide testimony in support of human composting.
"Composting recycles and conserves nutrients and provides a product that improves the soil. It is one of the best soil conditioners. The organic matter in compost is like soil humus and is very stable," said MOFGA. "It builds soil structure, adds water and nutrient holding capacity to the soil and aerates the soil. It provides fertility, and it enhances the ability of the soil to remove carbon from the atmosphere and store it in healthy plant roots and the soil fauna and microbes that support the roots."
Hmm.
Others in support of human composting, including Indivisible, argued it was more "sustainable" and would reduce the impact of "climate change". One person even suggested human composting would help eliminate the "systemic inequalities" that have "disproportionately impacted" access to end-of-life options to people in certain communities.
Yet Mendelsohn's oral testimony from Monday still hangs heavy.
"Will we be compelled to become unwitting existential cannibals, unable to know if we are consuming produce tainted with human compost? 'Soylent Green' is no longer futuristic — it is here now," he warned.
