X-Message-Number: 11602
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: about assisted termination (in Oregon and elsewhere)
Date: Fri, 23 Apr 1999 23:26:25 +1000 (EST)

Hi everyone:

About assisted termination in Oregon: first, I am not the best person to
discuss this; another cryonicist has consistently kept up with this
issue. David Brandt-Erickson has reported on the situation with 
euthanasia around the world for some time.

As I understand the situation in Oregon, despite the fact that the
legislature passed a law allowing assisted death, state officials have 
done everything they could to prevent it from coming into force. At
present those efforts have succeeded. Just how long this situation will
continue (or has continued) I do not know.

When Oregon passed its law, there were also people in the US Congress
who suggested that euthanasia might be prohibited by a Federal law. This
would at best cause lots of constitutional controversy, at worst actually
work.

David's email address (the latest one known to me) is:

		

Finally I will observe that a law allowing assisted termination will
(we HOPE) also allow cryonic suspensions prior to declaration of death.
However a very great deal depends on the exact conditions the law 
prescribes for legal assisted termination. Just as an example (with
no relation so far as I know to the Oregon law) if it requires that
a known poison be given to the patient, the law may make cryonic 
suspension HARDER rather than easier. We should never forget that those
who are in favor of this law either know nothing at all about cryonics,
or consider it either worthless or morally wrong. Such people cannot be
depended on to write a law useful for us.

			Best and long long life for all,

				Thomas Donaldson

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