X-Message-Number: 951
Date: 04 Jul 92 22:38:18 EDT
From: Charles Platt <>
Subject: Michael Paulle

Mike Darwin telephoned me tonight (July 4, 1992) and dictated 
the following letter, which he wants posted on Cryonet: 
 
============================================================= 
 
To: Everyone on Cryonet 
 
From: Michael Darwin 
 
Facilitating someone's cryonic suspension is under the best 
of circumstances an extremely delicate and difficult task. 
Initiating and maintaining good communications with the 
family, hospital administration, and staff in an emotionally 
loaded, pressure-cooker situation is never easy. It goes 
without saying that a critical ingredient in achieving this 
is mutual trust, respect, and freedom from outside pressure--
in particular, freedom from media limelight during the 
delicate period when a patient is in a hospital, critically 
ill, and dependent on hospital and family cooperation if a 
suspension is to be carried out. It does not take a genius to 
realize that injecting the media into a situation like this, 
particularly where the family are not cryonicists and the 
hospital is understandably concerned about its public image, 
would be insane. 
 
It is my understanding that Michael Paulle, a former 
suspension member of Alcor, has publicly disclosed a 
patient's identity, hospital location, and even some medical 
information without knowledge or consent of the patient, the 
patient's family, the hospital, or Alcor. Mr. Paulle has 
persisted in doing this even though he has been asked not to 
by a broad cross-section of responsible people including 
Alcor president Carlos Mondragon, Alcor activist Saul Kent, 
and various members of the New York group. 
 
Such behavior is totally irresponsible, bordering on 
criminal. The only way that Alcor--and indeed, any of us in 
the cryonics community--can protect ourselves from this kind 
of action is to cut the flow of information to Mr. Paulle and 
people like him. There is a time and a place for disclosure 
of information, and I have long been a champion of oppenness. 
However, disclosure of confidential information regarding a 
patient's cryonic suspension, violating that patient's 
privacy and the institutional privacy of the hospital and of 
Alcor, is unconscionable and inexcusable. 
 
I therefore urge each and every Alcor member, in particular 
those in positions of responsibility, not to communicate with 
Mr. Paulle about any substantive issue or to give him any 
information regarding Alcor operations, especially anything 
involving Alcor suspensions, anticipated or in progress. 
 
I am currently standing by for this patient, and I can state 
personally that Mr. Paulle's actions have made the suspension 
problematic. Such irresponsible behavior cannot be tolerated 
in the cryonics community. 
 
--Michael Darwin 
 
============================================================= 
 
As an upstart cryonics activist, I understand the desire to 
make cryonics better known in the world. As a professional 
journalist, I understand the desire to tell a story. But 
(forgive me for stating the obvious) we aren't just dealing 
with stories, here; we are dealing with life and death. For 
this reason, we all need to err on the side of caution. I 
wish Michael Paulle had followed this rule instead of giving 
his enthusiasms free rein, and I've already told him so. He 
didn't share my point of view, however, and I have to say 
that I don't trust him not to do something like this again in 
future, if he has the opportunity. 
 
--Charles Platt 

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