X-Message-Number: 17971
From: "Mark Plus" <>
Subject: interview with a clueless "bioethicist"
Date: Sun, 18 Nov 2001 21:40:23 -0800

From:

http://www.techreview.com/web/basu/basu110701.asp

>Leonard Glantz: I'd also be against making people immortal if there was 
>ever a way to do that. In fact, I'd prohibit it. I wouldn't even be in 
>favor of allowing people to live 200 years or so.

>TR: Why not?

>Glantz: There would be real problems of overpopulation. Now we have baby 
>booms; then we'd have elder booms. And elder booms are more serious than 
>baby booms because part of what our species does is get out of the way and 
>make room for the new folks to come along and do their thing.

First of all, how did this "bioethics" hustle get started?  "Bioethicists" 
seem about in the same charlatan class as "futurists" and those ubiquitous 
"terrorism experts" we've been hearing from so much lately.

Secondly, what is "ethical" about condemning people TO DEATH because of some 
arbitrary belief about how long they are "supposed" to live?

I just don't understand the thinking of people who believe that human lives 
have value as long as there aren't "too many" of them, and they don't hang 
around "too long."  Seems like there's some implicit  misanthropy here.

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