X-Message-Number: 27881
From: 
Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2006 01:56:52 EDT
Subject: Legal controlled deanimation

I think we can profitably discuss a new topic: deanimation at a set time  
without breaking the law. 
 
This is important because so many patients die and deteriorate for hours or  
days before being treated and vitrified.  Both Alcor and CI patient reports  
frequently cite days between death and rescue. 
 
In The Immortalist March-April 2006, Ben Best discusses various experiments  
indicating neuron survivability after warm ischemia.  In one case "After  six 
hours only 15% of the neurons were necrotic.  Only after 12 hours were  65% of 
the neurons necrotic. " And "Unpublished data ... from Yuri Pichugin  

indicates that by 24 hours of warm ischemia hippocampal tissue has K/NA ratios  
that 
are about half normal, and that by 48 hours are at a level of complete  

non-viability. " The data are confusing but it appears two hours or less is OK,
after six there is some cell death and from 12-24 a third to half were  lost.  
This is not promising when a man dies during the night and is only  discovered 
in the morning and not delivered to rescuers for a day or two.   It is 

especially disturbing for people in Europe who must be processed by local  
authorities 
and shipped to the USA.  Cooling to water ice temperature may  help, but 
there ought to be a better way. 
 
For a person with a terminal disease, travel to a hospice near Alcor or CI  
near the end might be good.  Then, to terminate at a particular time would  be 
ideal.  A doctor could stand by and sign the death certificate in a  minute, 
and cooling and perfusion could begin.  But how can one *legally*  choose the 
moment?
 
Euthanasia and assisted suicide are normally illegal and active suicide is  

dicey.  However, anyone or his designated Health Care Agent may reject  medical
intervention for a terminal condition that will cause death, and at any  

time.  (Standard Living-Will terminology.) So, for example, one goes on  oxygen
and goes downhill until removal of oxygen will allow death in  minutes.  Then 
the right people assemble and prepare, and they simply stop  the oxygen.  In 
conventional medicine is not uncommon to keep someone alive  until the family 

arrives and says goodbye, and then stop the oxygen and let them  go.  This would
be about the same. 
 
I also believe it is now legal under terminal circumstances to administer  as 
much opiate as needed to stop pain, even when this may reduce respiration and 
 hasten death. 
 
What I think we should discuss is this idea in general, and specifically  

what things can be withdrawn (ventilators? drugs? transfusions? dialysis?) that
are legal and will bring about death with reasonable promptness. 
 
Alan Mole



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