X-Message-Number: 6683 From: Garret Smyth <> Newsgroups: sci.cryonics Subject: Re: BRITISH DESTRUCTION OF EMBRYOS - any Ref? Date: Mon, 05 Aug 96 01:08:45 GMT Message-ID: <> References: <4tvn8c$> <4u0ruj$> "William Theaux" writes: > I understand Platt's 'orthodox' point of view: frozen patients (& > organs?) are not the same than embryos (alais 'human preface'). But I > see it exagerated to say that "there's no connection at all". > Especially when he refers to 'people' - for the Collective Psychology > probably assume a certain connection between frozen embryos & frozen > bodies. > > The British 'mass abortion' or whatever warns Cryonicists: in a close > future, the many social changes to come may carry orders/laws which > will endanger the stocks in conservation. I don't know if you saw my posting but I felt I had a go at answering your questions. I can see several big differences between the situation regarding frozen embryos and cryonics patients. There was no law covering frozen embryos (and public outcry may cause the one recently brought in to be changed). The legal situation regarding cryonics patients is pretty clear and fits into pretty old laws. The likely cause of change would be improved suspension/revival techniques leading to widespread acceptance that people in suspension need more legal rights, not less. The moral situation with embryos is very complex and there are so many different views. They tend to revolve around questions as to whether the embryos have any rights at all or are people. With cryonics the situation is much clearer. Most people (in the US and the UK anyway) accept that a person has the right to arrange the funeral they want and laws reflect this. If you argue from the view that cryonics might work (as I do) then you must accept that cryonics is a technical procedure aimed at saving lives. There is no question of "playing God" in cryonics - it a persons moral duty to try to save life. The morality around embryos is a nightmare specifically because many people feel that tampering with the creation of life is "playing God". > Thus Cryonics enterprise must garanty its members with an application > for social analysis (and/or collective reflexion/therapy). I'm not sure I fully understand this bit but I think I have given a thumbnail sketch of my social analysis. I must add that any connection between embryos and cryonicists is pretty superficial. If the general British population think there is a strong connection I haven't noticed. There's been a reasonable amount of media interest in cryonics here recently but no one has even mentioned the frozen embryos. TTFN Garret -- Garret Smyth Phone: 0181 789 1045 or +44 181 789 1045 Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=6683