X-Message-Number: 32465
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2010 13:35:46 -0800 (PST)
From: david pizer <>


Mathew Sullivan has some good points about the Neuro option that I would like to
respond to:


MATHEW SAID:  Also, Dave neglects to consider that
vitrification solutions used today are VERY expensive, and neuro patients
only require a small fraction of what is required for whole body patients.


DAVID:  What those of us, who want an objective discussion about the costs and 
risks to Alcor of offering the Neuro option want to know is what is the actual 
difference in cost of doing a Neuro vs a whole body and what are the future 
risks from the public dislike of the thought of Neuros.  Alcor offers a big 
discount to Neuro Members.  But the savings may not be nearly as much as the 
discount given them AND the other costs to Alcor in attorney fees and roadblocks
that government, medical, and scientific people throw up in front of Alcor as 
we try to do do business from day to day -  plus the growing detesting of 
cryonics in general mainly because of the Neuro option may be much more than any
savings.  Then there is the risk that continuing to anger the public by 
offering the Neuro to be done on their loved ones may cause them to force us out
of business.  We just don't know the answers to all these questions without 
more study.



MATHER SAID: And the consequence of forcing members to take out a larger life 
insurance policy would only serve to increase the bounty on the heads of members
(no pun intended) for family members who would be tempted to cash in by 
interfering.  So, I believe forcing neuro members to become whole body members 
would result in an implosion of the total number of Alcor members,and many of 
them would simply go sign up with CI.


DAVID:  This needs to be studied and compared to the risk of Alcor being 
regulated or forced out of business because of the public detesting of the Neuro
option.


MATHEW: Some people out there may be turned off by neuro preservation; similar 
to Dave, I've talked to many people over the years and it isn't neuro 
preservation that is the key issue here, but our inability to bring back a whole
organism such as a monkey or dog, etc.  And for those who continue to find 
neuro preservation a bit creepy, it is a matter of educating them about the 
scientific efforts with organ printing; naturally, we can't expect to please 
everyone while engaged in such discussions, but that's life.  Natural selection 
and technological progress will resolve this issue in time.


DAVID:  Dave is NOT turned off by the Neuro Option.  Dave is turned off by the 
thought of the public forcing Alcor out of business because *they* are turned 
off by the Neuro Option.  


Also, Mathew is just wrong if he thinks the Neuro option is not the key issue 
here.  People wont' tell a cryoncists (like Mathew) to his face they detest it, 
but they will write it on a follow-up card if they can be anonymous.


MATHEW:  In conclusion, unless Dave is willing to personally finance a free 
upgrade for individual members, I don't expect to see a shift in members who 
will be signing up for whole body preservation any time soon.


DAVID:  A better question is - Is Mathew ready and able to personally finance 
and guarantee the existence of Alcor if the public moves to close us down?  
Mathew does say that Neuro Members like himself might just join CI  (as he 
suggests above) if they don't like what Alcor does. But long-term supporters of 
Alcor like myself don't want to join some other company - we want to make Alcor 
better and remain with Alcor!


MATHEW  And from the perspective of someone who is signed up for neuro, I 
wouldn't make the switch even if it was free.


DAVID:  It is this expressed attitude of a few Neuro-Huggers that give the 
public the impression that Alcor is a cult.

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