X-Message-Number: 577
From: bart simpson <>
Subject: CRYONICS
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 91 18:59:48 WET

I gather that in the UK no attempts have yet been made to suspend anyone
using Cryonic technology.

Assuming that the process of suspension were to start shortly, I assume that
only patients who had already been certified "medically dead" would be 
allowed to go through the process. Clearly, as these people would already be
medically dead, the Registrar would issue a Death Certificate against the
named individual.

We already know from a recent EEC case that a birth certificate (and 
I would therefore assume a death certificate) is considered to be 
a legal record of fact.

The EEC involved the following facts:

A woman had undergone a sex change operation which turned her into a "man".
The person then asked the Registry in London to change the sexual indentity
on their birth certificate from female to male. The department refused and
an action was taken through the courts which resulted in the case coming 
before the EEC court.

The court ruled that a birth certificate is a record of fact and that under
no circumstances, except where a mistake was made at the time of the recording
 the information, would the contents be changed or altered in any way.

If we assume that the technology does come into being which will allow
a person to be revived from suspension how would the law deal or be expected
to deal with the issues involved ? Would the person be reborn or would they
simply have their death certificate erased ? Would they have any rights
over "their" property which passed on death, under the probate grant, to
relatives and or friends ? Would the suspended person still be legally
married ? 

I realise I am asking several very complex questions, the answers to which
are doubtless complex and cannot be explained in a few sentences. However,
I would be very interested to know the current thinking on these issues.


        *******************************************************
        *      Graham Wilson         *    *
        *    LL.B. Law Year II       *                        *
        *******************************************************

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