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 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=16312