X-Message-Number: 2583
Date: Wed, 02 Feb 94 22:24:50
From: Steve Bridge <>
Subject: CRYONICS and Catholicism
(Via unlicensed copy of UGATE)
To CryoNet
>From Steve Bridge
February 2, 1994
In response to Message: #2581 - Canadian Cryonics Dinner
From: (Ben Best)
Date: Mon, 31 Jan 1994 02:00:00 -0500
>One of these friends seemed serious about signing-up
>and wanted information on costs and procedures. He also wanted to
>know the Vatican's views on the subject because he is Roman Catholic.
>(Does anyone know if the Vatican has ever made a statement about
>cryonics?)
The Catholic viewpoint on cryonics has been the subject of much
lively discussion over the years, especially since several cryonicists of
my acquaintance are lapsed Catholics. I am not, but have a curiosity
about this and have asked many questions about the subject.
Apparently, the Pope himself has never offered an opinion on
cryonics. However, the Vatican (but perhaps not the Pope) has made
statements in the past that frozen human embryos do possess souls and are
humans. The Church is not in favor of creating such humans; but once the
eggs are fertilized, any destruction of them would be tantamount to
murder.
This shows the Catholic Church's interesting ability to adapt to
change when science offers no other choice. This decision was not made
until it was proven that the frozen embryos could produce full-term,
obviously human infants. One couldn't say that frozen embryos were *dead*
then, could they?
For this reason, I believe that if eventually we can show that
cryonics works, the Catholic Church will take the position that these
people are alive and must be repaired. It does not necessarily follow,
however, that the Church will be in favor of people choosing cryonics.
Still, there is a more hopeful viewpoint that I have heard from a
couple of priests. From the Catholic viewpoint, suicide is one of the
greatest sins. Suicides are not allowed to be buried on consecrated
ground; and most would say that suicide prevents one's soul from entering
the Kingdom of Heaven. A priest told me about a common argument among
Catholics: If a person was in the hospital and surgery would probably save
the person's life (and NOT to have the surgery would mean certain death),
then choosing not to have the surgery would be choosing to die. Willful
death is suicide. (If God had wanted you to die, he wouldn't have
invented surgeons that could fix your problem.)
By the same logic, if it could be proven that cryonic suspension
would preserve a person's life, then NOT to choose suspension when in a
terminal condition would ALSO be willful death. Under those future
circumstances, this priest would argue that NOT to choose cryonic
suspension would be the mortal sin of suicide.
While this argument may seem far-fetched and beside the point to the
non-religious among you (why not just lead them away from the opiate of
the masses?), it has an important point. Just as I am willing to use any
odd law from Anatomical Donations to Assisted Suicide to Religious
Protection from Autopsy to protect Alcor's members and Patients, I am
willing to argue for cryonics on religious grounds if it means saving some
people that I love.
This young man should also be aware that most American Catholics do
not follow every teaching of the European Pope. (I don't know whether
Canadian Catholics fall in line better or not.) For instance, this week
the Pope pleaded with Italian pharmacies to stop selling those sinful
condoms. He doesn't care about AIDS; he just wants to stop birth control
devices. The Italian pharmacists ignored him. At the same time, 90% of
American Catholics use some form of birth control prohibited by the Pope.
"But, Mom... John Paul says...."
"Now, Junior, if John Paul told you to jump off a cliff, would you?"
Of course, people who encourage you to die are, in essence, telling
you to jump off a cliff. Even the religious have to make up their own
minds about some things.
Steve
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