X-Message-Number: 4053
Date:  Mon, 20 Mar 95 19:32:22 
From: Steve Bridge <>
Subject: Alabama and Wisconsin Cryonics

To CryoNet
>From Steve Bridge, Alcor
March 20, 1995

     After my summary of legal issues for the 1st Quarter CRYONICS 
Magazine (at the printer now; in the mail later this week) went to 
press, we received something else in the mail I wish I had earlier.

Baker, David M. "Cryonic Preservation of Human Bodies -- A Call for 
Legislative Action."  *Dickinson Law Review*, Volume 94, #4, Summer 
1994.  

     I will put an update article in the next issue of cryonics about 
this, and I will probably post a summary here.  Baker has found two 
other states (besides California) where the legal basis of cryonics has 
been examined in some manner.  (California has examined cryonics in 
Attorney General's opinions and in litigation with the Department of 
Health Services).  

     Wisconsin's Attorney General issued opinions in 1967 and 1968 more 
or less favorable to cryonics.  The full opinions were not in this 
article, so I need to look them up before commenting further.  The 
citations of these opinions listed in the article were also not clear; I 
will put more on line when I have found them myself.

     Alabama in 1991 included the words "cryogenic storage" in the 
definition of a cemetery in its Funeral Services Chapter.  *Alabama 
Code* 34-13-1(a)(5) (1991).  No definition of "cryogenic storage" itself 
was provided.  It can be presumed that this would give some legal 
framework for patient storage in Alabama; but there seems to be no 
mention of the practice of cryonics.

     Baker also proposes a "Uniform Cryonic Disposition Act," complete 
with a "State Board of Cryonics."  It is much too early in the history 
of cryonics for any government to adapt his legislative ideas; but you 
can bet that other attorneys and legislators will be finding this 
article when they have to research cryonics in the future.  If you might 
be involved in management or legislative action for cryonics in the 
future, you need to know what is here.

     I actually thought about sending photocopies of this to the leaders 
of all the cryonics groups; but then I figured if there is one situation 
where you want to be especially careful of copyright, it is on articles 
written by attorneys!  

     If you can't find this in a library somewhere, reprints are 
available through: 

William S. Hein & Co., Inc.
1285 Main Street
Buffalo NY 14209
(800) 828-7571 or (716) 882-2600

     I don't know the price.


Steve Bridge

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