X-Message-Number: 12426
From: Thomas Donaldson <>
Subject: What I think of lawsuits to allow cryonic suspensions before death
Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 22:45:16 +1000 (EST)

Hi everyone!

As the person who was the subject of a lawsuit to allow cryonic suspension
before legal death, I have something to say on all the "suicide-not
suicide" etc discussions.

First of all, I still believe such a lawsuit will eventually succeed. But
for that to happen it will probably take more than acceptance by most 
people of assisted suicide. The problem here, which we see in Oregon and
other places where polls clearly support assisted suicide, is that many
of the upper echelons of society (no implication here as to their real
position) still don't like the idea. Ergo, judges are less likely to like
the idea than most people, and a lawsuit will depend on the viewpoint of
the judges, not a public poll.

Moreover, as several posters have made clear, we aren't even trying to 
commit suicide in the normal sense of "suicide". We're trying to keep on
living despite a condition which most doctors consider to be "death". If
anything this is likely to make our political problem, and our legal
problem, even less amenable to a suitable judgement. Not only that, but
the problem of convincing judges of the merits of our case USING ONLY
THE STANDARD LEGAL METHODS becomes much harder. At least in English-
descended legal systems, precedents take a major role. There've been
other suits asking for assisted suicide, though the precedents are very
thin on the ground. For successful suits asking for cryonic suspension
the number of precedents comes to a big ZERO.

I don't like this situation, and I'm sure that all cryonicists reading
this also don't like it. But right now we form a very small minority ...
also a situation I don't like (even though I've argued before that its
not as bad as many seem to think). 

As for myself, basically I've accepted that if I really find myself
with a recurrence of my tumor, or any other condition which will destroy
my brain while leaving me officially still "alive", I should take the
road several cryonicists have already taken: starving myself to death.
Taking our desire to law may have publicity advantages (you would not
believe the number of enquiries I got because of the law case) but should
not be thought of, at least for now and into the indefinite future,
as a serious means of getting cryonic suspension legal before legal
death.

			Best and long long life to all,


				Thomas Donaldson

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