X-Message-Number: 3906
From: 
Date: Sat, 25 Feb 1995 22:15:44 -0500
Subject: comparing organizations

Re #3886: Brian (Hocus Pocus) says he has information from Alcor, Cryonics
Institute, CryoCare, and TransTime, but has received little information about
the organizations and their track records. He asks for help in deciding how
to choose an organization.

First, the standard Cryonics Institute package does contain  considerable
information about the organization and its record--including its age, size,
finances,  prices, structure, facilities,  various policies, officers and
directors. 

In THE IMMORTALIST--a copy of which each inquirer receives--we also offer
some information about the American Cryonics Society, which co-publishes the
magazine, along with the Immortalist Society. 

Three clear-cut advantages of the Cryonics Institute over all others are: 

(1) our MUCH lower prices (a one-time minimum $28,000 full-body suspension
fee by time of death and a one-time membership fee up front of $1,250 for one
or $1,875 for a couple including minor children, and no annual dues unless
you want voting rights, in which case currently $100 for one or $150 for
two);

(2) our record of NEVER having  raised prices over our entire history of
almost 20 years, in contrast to all other organizations (and price stability
is just as important as current price levels);

(3) our policy of never having any debt--even mortgage debt.

Incidentally, CI is the second largest cryonics organization, after Alcor, in
membership, financial assets, and number of patients in storage--and first in
number of full-body patients. (We reached this status in spite of
near-invisibility; hardly anybody outside of cryonics has heard of us. This
is because we have kept a low profile, mainly because we did not want to
invite journalists to our old, small facility. Now we have a much larger and
better one, and this spring will begin to permit journalists to visit; this
should boost momentum at least to some extent.)

Naturally, choice of an organization depends on many factors, including the
age, health, location, and assets of the  prospective member(s). If CI is the
only organization you can afford now, and you expect to die soon, then that
should settle it. If you do not expect to die soon, then your choice should
reflect not only the current situation but also the probable changes that may
occur.

The largest current differences of opinion probably relate to suspension
methods. The western organizations use more complex methods, and claim and no
doubt believe that these produce better results. However, our analysis and
research do not confirm this; in fact, our methods do not seem to produce
cracking of tissues, as others seem to do, so possibly our methods are
actually the best overall. But now we enter the realm of rapid changes.

It is possible that our lack of cracking is explained by the simple fact of
much slower cooling (and rewarming in the case of our experimental sheep
heads), especially in critical temperature ranges. This should be clarified
fairly soon, and no doubt all organizations will be guided by the results, so
any CI advantage here will disappear.

By the same token, with recently improved cooperation among some of the
groups, we hope relatively soon to determine which procedures are best by
criteria other than cracking. Within a few years, at most, I expect that the
objective questions will be answered, at least with respect to procedures in
current use. At that point choices will be made on the basis of cost/benefit
analysis--either by the organization or by the individual members. CI expects
eventually to offer all available reasonable options.

Newcomers should note that only four organizations currently offer long term
liquid nitrogen storage on their own premises: Cryonics Institute, Alcor,
Trans Time, and CryoSpan. Investigation--even if only by
correspondence--should rather easily narrow the field for most people. 

Those who prefer to deal with a group that is mainly an
oversight-and-subcontracting organization have a current choice between
American Cryonics Society and CryoCare, which in turn offer choices in
subcontracting. The ramifications may make a newcomer's head spin; the only
remedy is investigation, study, and preferably personal visits. 

But don't let indecision paralyze you. It is sometimes more important to be
decisive than to be "right." After all, if you join one organization and
later decide you made a mistake, it's probably not a big deal. You don't tie
up a lot of money by joining. Delay can cost you everything--and has done so
in the past for many people.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society



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