X-Message-Number: 8171 Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 19:12:22 -0700 (PDT) From: Olaf Henny <> Subject: Cryopreserve Saddam? I have recently seen a newspaper article, which stated, that Saddam Hussein has ordered his scientist to look research cloning, with the purpose of creating a clone of himself. The article stated further, that Saddam is getting more and more concerned about his mortality. This is of course nothing new. A lot of despotic dictators have looked for ways of prolonging their lives. Stalin was rumored to have invested extensive efforts into live extension; Mao likewise. Hitler and Mussolini probably didn't have a whole lot of opportunity to think about it. For Cryonics this raises some interesting questions. Setting aside the low quality of cryopreservation to be expected due to the problems in logistics in getting Saddam transported to America and the likely political interference by the State Department, what should the policy in similar cases be? Clearly, the first thing that enters my mind in Saddam's case is: Absolutely not. There are other names on the list, Castro in Cuba, Kim II in North Korea and a whole bunch of African potentates. People on death row are probably out too. Then come suspected drug king pins and so on down the line with gradually lesser crimes. Where do you draw the line? Are you refusing a (rumored - there will likely no certification) Mafia boss, who was killed in a shoot-out? - a Hell's Angel? Right now, with a the present bunch of cryonicists, a few scientist, intellectuals and otherwise informed individuals, there is not much of a problem, but when the first cryopreserved mammal brain has been revived and proven functional the base of interested parties will be broadened considerably to include all kinds of "prospects". What will the policy of cryonics providers be then? Just like in a hospital: "A patient - is a patient - is a patient?" I think it will have to be so. Olaf Henny Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=8171