Indiana’s House of Representatives on Thursday approved a water-based cremation alternative despite religious pushback.

Rep. Mark Genda, a retired funeral director, told the chamber that he’ll be buried next to his parents in a family plot. But, he observed, about 60% of Hoosiers are choosing cremation.

His Senate Bill 1044 would legalize alkaline hydrolysis — a process that uses water, alkaline chemicals and heat to decompose corpses into bone fragments — by adding it to Indiana’s legal definition of cremation.

[caption id="attachment_104911" align="alignright" width="206"] Rep. Mark Genda[/caption]

“This is good policy for all of Indiana, in providing yet another dignified way of taking care of our loved ones,” said Genda, R-Frankfort.

Fellow House Republicans spoke against his proposal.

Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, dubbed alkaline hydrolysis “creepy.” It and cremation, she added, are “two separate ways of disposing (of) their body, and they shouldn’t be lumped together.”

But she based the bulk of her critique on her Catholic faith.

Mayfield cited a 2023 statement from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops that concluded alkaline hydrolysis and human composting “fail to satisfy the Church’s requirements for proper respect for the bodies of the dead.”

Democrats rallied to support the legislation.

“I am a Catholic, and I can’t choose this for myself,” said Rep. Pat Boy, D-Michigan City. “But this doesn’t mean that other people can’t.”

Rep. Chuck, Moseley, D-Portage, said legalization is “forward-thinking” by enabling more opportunities for small businesses and another choice for customers.

Rep. Robin Shackleford, D-Indianapolis, said that as a life insurance agent, she’s had plenty of conversations with clients about their end-of-life wishes. Many, she said, want to pass more life insurance policy money onto family members instead of using it on traditional burials.

Lawmakers approved the measure on a 70-17 vote — a far cry from its defeat on a 34-59 vote a decade ago.

One of the world’s largest manufacturers of alkaline hydrolysis equipment is located in central Indiana, per Genda.

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