Who decides what happens to your body after you die? The right of disposition refers to who has the authority to carry out your plans regarding what will happen to your body when you pass away. Ohio law specifies that you may execute a written declaration that assigns a representative the right to direct the disposition of your body, as well as the right to make arrangements for your funeral service. A person that you have lived with, and even have had minor children with, has no rights to determine what happens to your remains unless nobody else listed comes forward. Say your parents have always disliked your live-in significant other: the parents would have control and there is nothing your partner can do about it after you are gone.
Without a designation in place for body disposition, if you are unmarried, your parents are deceased, and if you have no siblings or adult children, a cousin you have not spoken with since childhood could make the decision of whether to bury or cremate you, where you will be buried, and whether your body parts are donated. You don’t want that, and neither does your cousin. When it comes to estate planning, it’s vital to have a plan in place for not only the distribution of your property, but also for the disposition of your body upon your passing. Melissa Graham-Hurd & Associates, LLC provides compassionate representation to clients for estate planning matters and helps to ensure their final wishes are carried out.
