X-Message-Number: 1762
Date: 17 Feb 93 13:33:19 EST
From: Clarissa Wells <>
Subject: CRYONICS "Death Sentence"

To: >INTERNET: 
 
 
Tucked away in an obscure corner of the most recent Cryonics magazine I found 
mention that at a recent business meeting, Keith Henson poroposed that if a 
member gives up his/her suspension membership, the member would not be allowed 
to re-join Alcor without being approved by a majority of the board. Why would 
Mr. Henson propose this measure? Perhaps because Mike Darwin resigned from 
Alcor, and made some harsh statements, and Mr. Henson would like to block him 
from re-joining in the future? 
 
I am pleased to hear that this proposal was defeated by a vote among board 
members. However, according to the report, three directors of Alcor voted in 
favor of the proposal. It seems to me, if you believe that cryonics has a 
chance of working, and if you believe that Alcor does better cryonic 
suspensions than other groups (as I imagine those three board members do 
believe), to block someone from joining Alcor is like handing out a death 
sentence. I would like to hear, from the three "gentlemen" who voted in favor 
of this proposal, what gives them the moral right to hand out this kind of 
"justice" to anyone they happen to dislike. (I would also like to know who, 
precisely, the people were. They surely have no business being on the board of 
an organization that states its purpose is "Life Extension.") 
 
If this proposal had passed, it would have been a great violation of human 
liberty. It would have given Alcor the potential right to decide who lives and 
who dies. Even the US government doesn't give itself this power (it is 
reserved for the court system). 
 
How would you feel if there were only three hospitals in the world, and you 
went to the best of them with money in your hand to pay for treatment that you 
need to save your life, and the doctors voted not to save you because they 
didn't like something you had said? I would like to see it written in Alcor's 
constitution that Alcor will NEVER refuse membership because someone exercises 
freedom of speech. 
 
                              Yours sincerely 
                              Clarissa Wells 

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