X-Message-Number: 22442 Date: Sun, 31 Aug 2003 01:36:56 -0400 From: Subject: Cryonics and the government To Cryonet From Steve Bridge August 31, 2003 I have to be brief here; but two writers on CryoNet are a bit off-base on understanding Cryonics Institute's problems with the State of Michigan. That's not surprising; these issues are arcane and at least one of the writers is from overseas. Without going into legal strategy or getting into arguments, it is generally not the right thing in *any* dispute with a governmental entity to immediately roll over and do what the official in question first asks you to do. The official usually does not know much about cryonics and may truly not understand that cryonics is NOT like a funeral home or cemetery. Cryonics operates under the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act in the United States. Members donate their bodies to the cryonics organization, just like people may donate their bodies to a medical school for research. If a cryonics organization were to take what at first seems like the simple approach and allow a government official to label it as a cemetery or funeral home, then that designation would subject the organization to hundreds of statutes and regulations which may be perfectly reasonable for funeral home preparation and burial but disastrous for cryonics. The most obvious would be regulations which require embalming and prescribe a certain method. One cannot find a simple answer for cryonics, which is NOT a simple subject. Education, patience, and discussion are still the keys. >Message #22426 >From: "Paul Pagnato" <> >Subject: Re: Michigan ruling >Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2003 12:35:58 -0700 >It is distressing that the Consumer Agency would state "Cryonics knowingly >functioned without proper authorization". The word "knowingly" is the big >problem with litigation. It can be construed as "willful intent" and give broad >powers to government agencies. As in the immediate past I highly advise not >pursuing legal action, or publicity about the present situation. Cryonics cannot >and will not win in court battles against our fundamentalist present political >administration, especially in the case of our Federal Supreme Court. Just back off >immediately and do whatever pacifies those in power. >Respectfully, >Paul Pagnato An additional note to Paul: Any legal action would have nothing to do with the Federal government. This is strictly about the State of Michigan. States and even each department in a state vary widely in their political makeup and in how they react to things. Besides, this is probably not even a "state" action at all, but just a reaction from a state official (a human being, not an office) who took action without knowing the facts. If people worried about national politics for every local problem, even less would get done in the country than gets done already. Most of politics is *local.* And cryonics has won many battles before usually through discussion and reason and by NOT letting the disagreements become labeled as battles. The only action that will reliably pacify those in power is simply never doing anything that is outside the norm. Sorry, friends, cryonics will not fall into the category of norm for a long time, if ever. If you want to be involved in cryonics, the first thing you must learn is that it is a great idea that is NOT as immediately obvious to everyone else as it is to us. Steve Bridge Former President of Alcor but writing for himself in this regard. Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=22442