X-Message-Number: 1196 Date: 17 Sep 92 00:33:46 EDT From: Thomas Donaldson <> Subject: Re: cryonics: #1186 - #1187 To David Stodolsky: I agree with the other correspondent that your suggestion won't fly. Furthermore, perhaps I am at the outer range of opinion on the issue of signing up terminal patients: I'm against it. If it IS to be done, then the entry fee should be SIGNIFICANTLY higher. How do we estimate that someone is terminal? 1) If they do not fund their suspension by life insurance policy, then they should be requested to have a complete physical at THEIR expense by a doctor or doctors chosen by Alcor. 2) If they do fund their suspension by life insurance, or even partly by life insurance TAKEN OUT AT THE TIME OF THEIR JOINING then we can assume they are not terminal. Anyone who joins using life insurance taken out more than 1 year ago would need to be subject to the requirements of 1). I know that these people give practice to our suspension team. I feel that it would be better all around if our team(s) practiced on animals --- the legal risks for human beings are significant. Moreover, my own observation is that REAL suspensions put strain on the Alcor staff which with their (comparatively) small number means a quite considerable falloff of their performance in other areas important to Alcor, like administration. Best and long life, Thomas Donaldson Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=1196