May 2002
The Director - Features
Families and Funeral Practices
The statement of Senator Christopher Dodd before the hearing of the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families on April 26, 2002.
“Today, the Subcommittee on children and Families will explore an issue that I don’t think we have ever looked at before. I am told that the modern American funeral industry traces many of its origins to the Civil War and the techniques and practices that were developed in response to the large number of battle casualties across the country. What we are here to examine today is whether relatively recent changes in the industry are adversely impacting American families and whether the federal government should take steps to modernize our laws to take account of these changes.”
On April 26, 2002, U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., chairman the Senate Subcommittee on Children and Families, conducted a hearing on funeral industry practices. This article includes Dodd’s complete statement at the hearing.
