X-Message-Number: 10135
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 10:36:34 +0100
From:  (John de Rivaz)
Subject: Re: Dying of Old Age

In article: <> Charles Platt writes:
> On Tue, 28 Jul 1998 Bob Ettinger wrote:
(del) 
> > To illustrate this point, I often cite a letter to Ann Landers, in which
> > a woman complained that her husband wanted sex and she didn't. Her
> > problem, as she saw it, was how to get her husband to leave her in
> > peace. Her real problem, of course, was how to learn how to enjoy sex
> > in a normal manner, or to cure whatever caused her negative feelings.
> 
> If she didn't want to have sex, she has every right not to have sex 
> (although marriage statutes may dictate otherwise).

A difficult point. 

Suppose someone doesn't want to take up hang gliding or bungee jumping, and 
those around them all love it - are they ethically correct if they try and 
force the unwilling person "just to try it once?" Suppose the activity is 
more innoccuous, eg golf?

Suppose someone does not want to eat (because of some medical condition,  
treatable without after effects, makes eating painful or whatever) Should 
they be forced to have treatment "for their own good"? Would they thank the 
medical staff once they are cured?

At the moment most people would see cryopreservation as being similar to the 
activities example, whereas most cryonicists see it as being similar to the 
eating disorder example.

-- 
Sincerely,     * Longevity Report:  http://www.longevb.demon.co.uk/lr.htm
John de Rivaz  * Fractal Report:    http://www.longevb.demon.co.uk/fr.htm
**************** Homepage:http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/JohndeR
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