Embalming Pros And Cons

Embalming is the process of artificially preserving a corpse from decay by replacing bodily fluids with a formaldehyde-based chemical solution and by preparing it esthetically with cosmetics and styling. Prior to my visits to a funeral home and to the Mount Royal Cemetery, this was a process that I was quite unfamiliar to. It is only after our field trips, and especially after seeing the embalming room and hearing about the process in precise detail, that I became more acquainted with the subject. However, by listening to my classmates’ opinions and reactions, I discovered that this topic is actually very controversial. In this essay, I will discuss the ethical, psychological and medical aspects of embalming by contrasting its positive and …show more content…
The main controversy is about its ethical aspect: the disrespect of the human body. Many think that some of the procedures are unethical and treat the human body like a piece of meat. For instance, as stated by our guide at the Mount Royal Cemetery, when a body is missing its organs because of a donation to science, the embalmer sometimes has to fill in the gap by stuffing cotton. This procedure can be seen as a parallel to stuffing turkey during Thanksgiving, which dehumanizes the human body. In addition, many also criticize embalming for disrespecting the symbolic value of blood. For several cultures and religions, blood is very important and is seen as the symbol of life. However, the main step in embalming is to replace blood by a chemical fluid, which is like replacing the past human life of the deceased individual by an artificial substance created in laboratories, further dehumanizing the corpse. Blood is also often directly discarded in the drain, which disrespects its symbolic value and mixes it with other “dirtier” bodily fluids like urine. Moreover, despite the claims of many funeral homes in Quebec that require the procedure, there are no clear medical evidence that embalming helps prevent the spread of