(a)(1) Any person eighteen years of age or older, and of sound mind, may execute in advance of such person's death a written document, subscribed by such person and attested by two witnesses, either: (A) Directing the disposition of such person's body upon the death of such person, which document may also designate an individual to have custody and control of such person's body and to act as agent to carry out such directions; or (B) if there are no directions for disposition, designating an individual to have custody and control of the disposition of such person's body upon the death of such person. Such disposition shall include, but not be limited to, cremation, incineration, disposition of cremains, burial, method of interment, alkaline hydrolysis and cryogenic preservation. Any such document may designate an alternate to an individual designated under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision.
(2) Any conservator of the person authorized pursuant to subdivision (5) of subsection (a) of section 45a-656 to act on behalf of a conserved person, or any agent authorized to act on behalf of a principal, including any agent authorized to act on behalf of a principal pursuant to subdivision (10) of section 1-351 l , may execute in advance of such conserved person's or principal's death a written document, subscribed by such conservator or agent and attested by two witnesses, either: (A) Directing the disposition of such conserved person's or principal's body upon the death of such conserved person or principal, which document may also designate an individual to have custody and control of such conserved person's or principal's body and to act as agent to carry out such directions; or (B) if there are no directions for disposition, designating an individual to have custody and control of the disposition of such conserved person's or principal's body upon the death of such conserved person or principal. Such disposition shall include, but not be limited to, cremation, incineration, disposition of cremains, burial, method of interment, alkaline hydrolysis and cryogenic preservation. Any such document may designate an alternate to an individual designated under subparagraph (A) or (B) of this subdivision. A document executed by a conservator pursuant to this subdivision shall include provisions indicating that such document (i) is valid if the person is under conservatorship at the time of his or her death, and (ii) terminates upon the termination of the conservatorship when such termination occurs prior to the death of the conserved person.
(b) No person having the custody and control of the disposition of a deceased person's body shall knowingly provide for a disposition of the body in a manner that is inconsistent with a document executed by a person pursuant to the provisions of subsection (a) of this section or section 19a-575a , unless such disposition is approved by the Probate Court.
(c) No person may challenge a funeral director's or embalmer's decision to carry out the directions for disposition contained in a document executed for the purposes of subsection (a) or (h) of this section if the funeral director's or embalmer's decision and conduct in carrying out such directions for disposition in reliance on such document was reasonable and warranted under the circumstances.
(d) In the absence of a written designation of an individual pursuant to subsection (a) of this section, or in the event that an individual and any alternate designated pursuant to subsection (a) of this section decline to act or cannot be located within forty-eight hours after the time of death or the discovery of the body, the following individuals, in the priority listed, shall have the right to custody and control of the disposition of a person's body upon the death of such person, subject to any directions for disposition made by such person, conservator or agent pursuant to subdivision (1) or (2) of subsection (a) of this section:
(1) The deceased person's spouse, unless such spouse abandoned the deceased person prior to the deceased person's death or has been adjudged incapable by a court of competent jurisdiction;
(2) The deceased person's surviving adult children;
(3) The deceased person's surviving parents;
(4) The deceased person's surviving siblings;
(5) Any adult person in the next degree of kinship in the order named by law to inherit the deceased person's estate, provided such adult person shall be of the third degree of kinship or higher;
(6) The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner; and
(7) Such adult person as the Probate Court shall determine.
(e) In the event that the applicable class of persons set forth in subdivisions (2) to (5), inclusive, of subsection (d) of this section contains more than one person, the custody and control of the body shall be in a majority of the members of the class who can be located and indicate willingness to participate in making arrangements for the disposition within a reasonable time, not to exceed ten days after the date on which the deceased person is identified. Such class members shall indicate their decision in writing.
(f) A document executed by a person for the purposes of subsection (a) or (h) of this section shall revoke any document previously executed by such person for the purposes of said subsections or any prior cremation authorization or other authorization for the disposition of remains executed by such person.
(g) A document executed by a person for the purposes of subsection (a) of this section may be in substantially the following form, but the use of such form shall not preclude the use of any other form: