State rules also regulate funeral homes to various extents, but the FTC is by and large the main governing body of the funeral industry. In recent years, consumer attitudes about funerals have changed significantly, generally shifting away from traditional funerals. The Internet, among other sources, allows consumers to access extensive information about funeral practices and options. Consumers can research religious traditions that pertain to their culture and belief systems and incorporate these traditions into their funerals. They can learn about federal regulations and industry conflicts. They can even buy their own merchandise, such as caskets, urns, stationary, and so on from a third party. This mainstreaming of the funeral industry is likely to continue as information becomes even more widely available.
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). So what is ethics? Ethics is defined as the principles that govern a person’s behavior or conduct during an activity. According to the peer-reviewed academic resource Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP; Snedegar, n.d.), the field of ethics, also known as moral philosophy, involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior. Standards of ethics are written into our everyday laws but go far beyond what is strictly legal. Laws are associated with minimum requirements, whereas ethical standards appeal to an even higher level of responsibility regarding the right thing to do and our purpose—our reason for being physically, emotionally, and spiritually. They give life to our values and principles. The terms ethics, morals, values , and principles are often used interchangeably, but are they really the same thing? Ethics, morals, values, and principles are all factors that govern our character and behavior. Yet there are differences between each of these concepts. Ethics vs. Morals While the terms ethics and morals are related, they are not synonymous. Ethics speaks to rules and principles that stem from an external source such as work environments, religions, cultural institutions, or particular groups. Morals come from within and reflect an individual’s sense of right versus wrong. Ethics vs. Values Together, ethics and values lay the framework for sustainability. As we have previously discussed, ethics are established by a group or culture. Values, on the other hand, refer to the beliefs for which a person has an enduring preference. Values and Principles Principles are essentially behavioral guidelines that are based on values. These principles, which emerge as a belief or rule based on values, can even influence the direction of an entire society. Many principles are collectively agreed upon by society, and many people have their own individual principles as well. Whenever we make a choice, it is or was possible for us to have made a different one. A Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard, once captured this sense when he described standing on the edge of a cliff. The only thing that will prevent us from falling is us and our choice to do otherwise. Ethics is possible because we can act against our own nature based on our conscience. It stops
us from simply describing what is likely to happen, and allows us to make judgments about what we think should happen. The field of ethics can be further broken into four subcategories that identify the environment and relevant factors to determine the scope and practice of prerecognized standards: ● Meta-Ethics.
● Descriptive Ethics. ● Normative Ethics. ● Applied Ethics. Meta-Ethics
Meta-ethics is an attempt to understand the nature and meaning of various ethics systems, moral judgements, and attitudes. It does not reflect whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong, but rather examines the nature of goodness, rightness, or morality itself, for example. It is a highly abstract look at ethics. The key theories in meta-ethics include naturalism, nonnaturalism, emotivism, and prescriptivism. Descriptive Ethics Descriptive ethics is the branch of ethics that deals with psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other social factors. It is often called comparative ethics, as it compares the ethics of past and present, or the ethics of one society to another. Normative Ethics Normative ethics is the study of the moral course of action through practical means. It is also called prescriptive ethics, as it rests on the principles that determine whether an action is wrong or right. The Golden Rule of normative ethics is “Do unto others as you’d have done to you.” Applied Ethics Applied ethics is the branch that tells us how we can achieve moral outcomes in a particular circumstance. Applied ethics deals with what is wrong or right within social, economic, cultural, and religious settings. This field of ethics is the most relevant when discussing industry-specific ethics and is further broken down into six general domains: ● Decision ethics. ● Professional ethics.
● Clinical ethics. ● Business ethics. ● Organizational ethics. ● Social ethics.
FUNERAL INDUSTRY ETHICS
Funeral ethics falls under the category of professional ethics, which is a vast field of study relating to ethical conduct within the scope of business and professional practice. Unlike personal ethics, which are flexible and open to debate, professional ethical codes are formally defined, mandatory standards of conduct established by and for members of professional associations to ensure quality and integrity in the profession.
Ethics in funeral services involves the professional application of guiding principles of right conduct to the study, practice, and business of funerals. Applying these ethical frameworks to the industry results in a respectful and principled environment, wherein transactions respect the feelings and emotions of the grieving, maintain respect for the deceased, and do not take advantage of consumers who are making funeral or memorial purchases.
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Book Code: FTX1624
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