X-Message-Number: 23017
Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 19:31:05 -0500
From: Paul Antonik Wakfer <>
Subject: Re: CryoNet #23008 - Pet owners may save our lives
References: <>

 >Date: Thu, 04 Dec 2003 03:37:14 -0500
 >From: "Kevin Q. Brown" <>
 >Subject: Pet owners may save our lives
 >
 >In the Dec 2003 / Jan 2004 issue of MIT's "Techology Review",
 >the page 18 article "Medicine Goes to the Dogs" by
 >Michael Schrage points out that restrictions against
 >stem cell, cloning, etc. research on humans do _not_ apply
 >to pets.  Furthermore, since there are plenty of pet lovers
 >who are willing to pay for sophisticated veterinary
 >treatments to save the lives of their dogs and cats,
 >we should expect significant advances in veterinary
 >biotech research using techniques not available to humans.
 >In particular, once stem cell therapy reliably saves the
 >lives of dogs and cats, it will be difficult to deny
 >such benefits to one's dying children.  His conclusion:
 >
 >   "America's love affair with animals will slowly
 >   but inevitably undermine the religious, moral, and
 >   ethical arguments against genome-based therapies
 >   for people.  Healthier cats and dogs will generate
 >   an irrestible demand for healthier children and
 >   adults."
 >
 >Or maybe I should say: "Don't look a gift horse in
 >the mouth".

This matches what I have been urging for many years (see 
http://morelife.org/lpcs/ ) - that cryonicists should seek to promote 
and develop all other possible beneficial applications of reversible 
whole body cryopreservation.
If pet owners will eventually fund and make available "genome-based 
therapies", then why not reversible whole body cryopreservation of their 
pets?

Best of all, 95% of the ethical problems involved with humans disappear 
when dealing with pets.

1) no censure for "defrauding" old people.
2) ability to begin procedure when "patient" is in far less compromised 
physiological condition.
3) no need for the "patient's" prior approval.
4) no need to use morticians.
5) no regulatory transportation or procedural problems.
6) no problems of interface with primary care professionals.
7) far less likely to have opposing family members.
8) no heirs involved to potentially sue to recover funding.

Finally, the pet owner would find out about cryonics and have another 
reason to become involved and sign up him/herself.

Let's all start aggressively promoting CryoPet Inc. :-)

Whoops, since I don't agree with the ethics of the corporate structure, 
strike that "Inc.".

--Paul Wakfer

MoreLife for the rational - http://morelife.org
Reality based tools for more life in quantity and quality
The Self-Sovereign Individual Project - http://selfsip.org
Rational freedom by self-sovereignty & social contracting

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