X-Message-Number: 16312
Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 09:50:52 -0400
From: Jeffrey Soreff <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #16309, transplants

David King wrote:

>I would encourage a law that would make a body property of the
>state upon death to be used in the most beneficial way to help the living.
>With the exception, of course, of a body that has arranged to be cryonically
>suspended upon death.

"property of the state" is a dangerous legal state to create.
This is essentially the same situation as in England, where
John de Rivaz has been putting a great deal of effort trying
to retrieve some control back from the State, especially in
situations where the State decides to dissect a body.  As of
now, the law does _not_ honor an exception for cryonics, and
cryonicists are such a tiny group that I doubt they will.
I think a much safer position to take is to make the wishes of
the deceased almost absolutely controlling (barring only wishes
that would present major threats to public health), regardless
of reasoning behind the wish.  Tactically, that puts us in the
same situation as all the people who are just squicked by any
manipulation of their bodies (however irrational that may be).
They are a much larger group than we are.

                          Best wishes,
                          -Jeff

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