X-Message-Number: 362 From att!Relay.Prime.COM!violin.Prime.COM!mkaminsk Tue Jun 25 19:12:57 EDT 1991 Date: Tue, 25 Jun 91 19:12:57 EDT From: (Mark Kaminsky) Message-Id: <> To: Subject: submission for cryonics mailing list Hi, I'm new to this list and the field so I'm sorry if these topics have been covered recently. I just got/read the new Cryonics book from Alcor and I have some questions: 1) Insurance. At one point it mentions that someone in their 20s/30s can get $41k of life insurance for $45/month. Is this a typo or are they talking about some whole life/annuity plan. Otherwise I expect it should be $45/year. My current SBLI for $100k is about $110/year (age 33 non-smoker). Also I've heard of $250k term life plans for about $450/year (guaranteed rate for 20 years). What do most folks do? Term or some sort of term/annuity combo? 2) Organ Donor + Neurosuspension? I currently carry an organ donor card because it's better to give a burn victim my skin than to bury it, same for the other organs. Now that I'm learning about the cryonics option I think I rather keep them. But what about the rest of the body in the case of a neurosuspension? In the book Alcor says they cremate it. Could it be used for organ donations? Sounds to me like a better idea than burning it. The organ donation process is obviously not paid for by the donor. I assume it's paid for by the receiver's health insurance or some non-profit group. Wouldn't this go a long way to pay for the neurosuspension up to the point for the liquid Nitrogen? Since there would be an incentive for hospitals to do the beginnings of a neurosuspension (the only way you allow them to get the organs is if they cooperate) could this be a way to cut down on "Standby"? I understand this would not be the case for old or AIDS patients since their organs are not wanted, but it is an idea for accident/ massive heart attack victims since these both make for the best organ donors and the worst response times for starting suspension. 3) Spouse doesn't approve. One of the problems I have with cryonics is that my wife doesn't approve of it. She has some quasi-religious beliefs and also wants a grave site to visit/share, but mainly the thought of cryonics leaves her cold (sorry - I guess you heard that a thousand times). I am working on her. I rather go together, but if not that, I'd go alone - if able. Anyone have a similar problem that they have overcome? A directly intellectual argument won't work with her - it's got to "feel" good. If I de-animate before her (which is the most likely), I assume that, as next of kin, what she says pretty much goes (the dead having no rights). Thus it is mostly pointless to proceed with membership without her consent. Is this so? I speak here of just my suspension - I'd of course respect her wishes with respect to her own body. Mark B. Kaminsky - Computervision/Prime Computer, Bedford, Massachusetts, USA Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=362