X-Message-Number: 1866 Date: 02 Mar 93 11:32:46 EST From: Charles Platt <> Subject: CRYONICS Self-Regulation To: Cryonet March 2, 1993 I'm interested by Clarissa Wells' suggestion for self- regulation. As I understand it, back in the late 1960s Saul Kent and/or Curtis Henderson started some kind of umbrella organization, bringing together all existing cryonics groups. I also remember that it didn't last long. Was the purpose of it to establish professional standards, as Ms. Wells suggests? What did it do, and how did it fail? I doubt that the Riverside coroner would have been terribly impressed if there had been a professional cryonics "standards body" in existence then. But it certainly wouldn't be a bad thing to have. All of the other fields that I am associated with already have something similar. In science fiction, there is the Science Fiction Writers of America, which proposed minimum standards for book contracts and staged a successful boycott of a publisher whose conduct was considered unsatisfactory. In film, the industry has its own organization to establish movie ratings (PG, and so forth). In computer programming, there is the Assocation of Shareware Professionals, which imposes some restrictions on membership and tries to insure professionalism in "sharable" software. Seems to me, the International Cryonics Federation (or something like that) could set certain minimal standards for funding and patient storage (which ALL groups would currently be able to meet). It could also act as a public-relations service, disseminating information about cryonics in general. It might help to heal rifts between cryonics organizations by acting as a go-between. And, as Ms. Wells says, it would be a much better alternative to asking the government to regulate us. I realize that financial matters at Alcor are pressing right now, but maybe this topic could be discussed at the conference at the end of May. One other point. I have heard it suggested, so far, that Clarissa Wells might "really" be any of the following people: ---- Arel Lucas (Keith Henson's wife) Michael Darwin Paul Wakfer Brenda Peters Saul Kent Maureen Genteman Me Michael Paulle Courtney Smith JoAnne Martin (Saul Kent's wife) ---- I think this is a bit of a waste of time, especially since there seems to be no way the speculation can be resolved. Personally I find Clarissa's moral stance a bit sanctimonious at times, but there's obviously some truth in what she's said. I would like to see people deal with that, rather than divert attention by suggesting she isn't a "real" person. If someone has something interesting to say, I don't see it matters what they choose to call themselves. --Charles Platt Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1866