X-Message-Number: 2309 From: whscad1!kqb (Kevin Q Brown +1 201 386 7344) Subject: CRYONICS Presumed Donor I have appended below, with permission, a recent posting to the Extropians list by Ray Cromwell concerning a proposed Pennsylvania law that would be dangerous to cryonicists. Unfortunately, that is about all he knows about it, since the part he learned was just the bit he caught at the end of a TV news show. Does anyone else on the list have more information on this? As Ray says, this is "a meme to kill". That is true not only in the sense that we need to kill it but also in the sense that it can become a "license to kill" if enacted. Thanks! Kevin Q. Brown INTERNET or <<< PA Official to Alcor: "Gee, I'm sooooo sorry, but, after that car accident, his bracelet was so badly damaged we could hardly read it, and to ensure freshness of his organs, we had to harvest them immediately. Not until now did we have a chance to call you. You can, of course, have the leavings..." >>> ----- > From: (Ray) > Subject: A meme to kill > Date: Thu, 17 Jun 93 3:19:26 WET DST > X-Extropian-Date: Remailed on June 17, 373 P.N.O. [07:19:33 UTC] "Presumed Donor" This is a law being considered in PA. It states that unless you specify otherwise, you are presumed to be an organ donor at death. I see this as coming into conflict with cryonics -- with the state eventually declaring ownership of your organs at death and carving up your body. Sure, you can voluntarily opt out now, but who knows in the future? Such a law would set a dangerous precendent. -- Ray Cromwell | Engineering is the implementation of science; -- -- EE/Math Student | politics is the implementation of faith. -- -- | - Zetetic Commentaries -- ----- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=2309