Chapter 1: Ethical Standards in the Funeral Industry (Mandatory) 2 CE Hours
By: Lindsay A. Andre, FD, MBA Learning outcomes
After completing this course, the learner will be able to: Define ethics and its impact on the funeral industry. Understand and practice the code of ethics. Discuss the Order of the Golden Rule. Course overview This course has been developed to create a framework surrounding ethics within the funeral service industry. The principles of ethics are critical in this field of service, since human interaction and empathy are the driving force behind
Identify obligations for the care of the decedent. Identify obligations to the public. Identify obligations to the government.
what funeral professionals do. This course will identify the impact of basic ethical principles not only on an individual level, but also on an organizational level, and their overall influence on the success of our industry.
CHAPTER 1: WHAT IS ETHICS?
framework to these conflicts can alleviate some of the stress and offer a path forward. This chapter will define ethics and the guidelines that have been designed and presented to and by funeral professionals who conduct or seek to conduct operations within the death care industry. Understanding and practicing ethical standards is at the forefront of what makes funeral professionals respected and trusted. As funeral professionals, the integrity of our funeral home relies on all members of the staff working together to follow these guidelines and principles. Chapter objectives In this chapter, we will: Discuss a brief history of the funeral ethics that shaped the industry of today. Define ethics and its impact on the funeral industry. Understand and practice the Professional Code of Conduct. Discuss the Order of the Golden Rule. survivors. The book’s first edition sold out in just one day. Robert Kennedy was so moved by what he read in the book that he decided on a relatively simple funeral with a closed casket after the assassination of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. Even this was controversial, with public opinion strongly opposing Robert Kennedy’s (who was then the U.S. attorney general) decision. Mitford’s 1963 book and the strong consumer response to it prompted increased attention and government oversight of the funeral trade. Hearings eventually culminated in the enactment of the Funeral Industry Practice Trade Regulation Rule (16 C.F.R. 453) in 1984. The Funeral Rule, or “the Rule,” as it is usually called, was reenacted and changed slightly in 1994. The Rule focuses on disclosures regarding funeral goods and services. It specifies what a funeral business must include on a general price list (GPL), when the list must be offered, and what consumers cannot be required to buy. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is the government agency that interprets and enforces the Funeral Rule. The FTC has two central missions: To keep the marketplace competitive and to stop unfair and deceptive trade practices. The FTC Act, of which the Funeral Rule is one part, broadly prohibits “unfair business practices and false advertising” (FTC, 2002).
At the top of the list of primary responsibilities of the funeral professional is the ethical care of a deceased person and the families and communities in which we serve. Each day funeral professionals are confronted with impossible decisions and numerous difficulties that are now more complicated than they’ve ever been in our profession. Ethics and ethical thinking can be applied to every aspect of human life. When problem solving and decision making are approached using a framework of ethical thinking, the number of lawsuits decrease, consumer complaints decrease, and people seem happier and more content. There may be an ever-increasing complexity of the culture and communities in which we live and work, and situations often arise that are so complex it seems impossible for even the most ethically conscious people to find their way through. Decisions frequently have to be made quickly and with limited information; competing priorities and demands may pull in opposite directions, and right is not easily distinguishable from wrong. However, applying an ethical of major trends and regulations in the industry, funeral professionals can understand the foundation of their industry as well as the context for current practices. By the mid-1950s, there were more than 50,000 funeral directors and 25,000 operating funeral homes in the U.S. About 70% of the country’s funeral homes were independently owned, and many were beginning to organize into a powerful trade group. Because many state funeral directors’ associations had their own code of ethics, the federal government made no attempts to regulate the business nationally until the 1960s, when investigative journalist Jessica Mitford’s 1963 book, The American Way of Death , brought to light dramatic abuses committed by funeral homes. Mitford publicized already existing concerns about the industry, accusing funeral homes of bilking stunned, grieving customers; pushing expensive caskets, funeral packages, and ridiculous “extras” while omitting less expensive options; and, in general, taking advantage of grief-stricken
A brief history of the funeral ethics that have shaped the industry of today The funeral industry, more popularly known as the death care industry, has evolved drastically, as have Americans’ views regarding what is appropriate and inappropriate when conducting a funeral service, burial, or cremation. The subject of death is endlessly complex and multifaceted, as is the industry surrounding it. By looking at the progression
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Book Code: FTX1625
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