Rheinland-Pfalz Approves Overhaul of Burial Laws Allowing New Practices

The reform includes river burials, shroud burials without coffins, and the option to transform ashes into synthetic diamonds.

The Rheinland-Pfalz cabinet has approved a draft law to modernize burial practices, replacing regulations in place since 1983.
The reform permits burials in the Rhine, Mosel, Lahn, and Saar rivers, aiming to reduce cross-border 'burial tourism' to the Netherlands.
Shroud burials, previously restricted to religious exceptions, will now be available to everyone, eliminating the mandatory coffin requirement.
Families will be allowed to store urns at home or scatter ashes outside cemeteries, with synthetic diamond creation from ashes also legalized.
The law introduces mandatory autopsies for children under six years old when the cause of death is unclear, aiming to improve investigations into potential crimes like shaken baby syndrome.