X-Message-Number: 522
Date: 03 Nov 91 12:02:55 EST
From: "Allen J. Lopp" <>
Subject: California  Humane and Dignified Death Initiative

Kevin, please post this on CryoNet, if it isn't too "political" 
(snear):

I would like to announce that a consortium of organizations have again
filed with the California Secretary of State to collect signatures for
the California Humane & Dignified Death Act, which would allow a
terminally ill individual to request physician-assisted "aid in
dying"---in other words, to ask for his/hes physician to administer a
death-inducing medication.

Many of you are familiar with the details of this initiative, since it
was circulated in almost exactly the same form circa 1988 and failed to
receive all the needed signatures. This time around the sponsors, two
organizations called Americans Against Human Suffering and Californians
Against Human Suffering, are much more politically savvy and well
organized. They need to collect 600,000 signatures by February 1992 in
order to get this initiative on the November 3, 1992 ballot. I
personally believe their chances of success this time are very good, 
both for collecting the needed signatures as well as voter approval.

The passage of this initiative would make a court case such as Thomas
Donaldson's moot. For this reason, I urge all cryonicists to support
the effort to pass the California Humane and Dignified Death Act in
California. Although not designed for this purpose, this law would
allow each of us to exercise far greater control over the ultimate
conditions under which our suspensions take place. In the cases of
inidividuals known to have advances terminal conditions, suspensions
could be planned and scheduled almost as if they were elective medical
procedures. The **total elimination** of ischemic injury is just one of
several ways that the scientific quality of our suspensions could
improve. Moreover, complications because of the unavailability of key
suspension team members would be eliminated as well.

Just the same, other issues of social ethics are relevant, and each of
you can make your own choice as to whether to support this initiative.

I, for one, will be helping to collect signatures, and I would like to
hear from other California cryonicists who also wish to help. My
contact info is:

	Allen J. Lopp
	13354 Veracruz Street
	Cerritos  CA 90701

	HOME VOICE, MSG & FAX: (310) 926-5470
	WORK: (310) 215-5367
	EMAIL: CompuServe 73750,670

I hope to collect a list of volunteers large and impressive enough to
impress the sponsoring organizations to work with us. Historically, the
attitudes of the right-to-die rank and file toward cryonicists has been
dreadful. I'd like to see us change that by taking an energetic role in
passing this initiative without hiding who we really are and what we
really want.

If anyone wants me to get you copies of the initiative to use for
signature-collecting, please contact me and tell me how many signatures
you hope to collect. (Each form holds only five signatures.) Or you may
contact the sponsoring organizations directly.

In Southern California:

	Californians Against Human Suffering
	5750 Wilshie Blvd., Suite 561
	Los Angeles  CA  90036
	VOICE: (213) 937-6295
	FAX:   (213) 937-9613

- OR, in Northern Califronia:

	Californians Against Human Suffering
	3200 Cutter Way
	Sacramento  CA  95818
	VOICE: (916) 454-4221
	FAX:   (916) 454-3686

If you are interested, get involved! Please let me hear from you!

Those of you who are outside California, obviously you cannot sign or
help collect signatures. But you can get out your checkbook and send a
donation to one of the addresses for CAHS above. (Your donation is
considered a political contribution by the IRS and is NOT tax
deductible.) --- Allen J. Lopp

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