Earlier this week, a New Jersey cemetery held up a funeral for nearly two and a half hours on “procedural” grounds. An elderly mother flew up from Florida to bury her daughter, but was forced to bear the indignities attached to that long wait. A family, already grieving, was made to grieve even more.

We withhold the name of the family or the cemetery, for the privacy of the former and for the irrelevancy of the latter. Cemeteries in New Jersey are poorly regulated because state law allows them to be so.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, the Senate majority leader, has proposed a spate of legislation to impose greater responsibility and accountability on the state’s cemeteries. Gov. Chris Christie has said publicly that he would sign the legislation if it crosses his desk.

Cemetery operators argue that the legislation is unnecessary. This week’s disgraceful episode proves otherwise yet again.

Write or call your local legislators, including Weinberg, and urge swift action on all her proposed legislation.

We pray that our loved ones get to die with dignity when their time comes. They deserve to be buried with dignity, as well.