Re: Cryopreserving the unborn

From: Zeb Haradon (zharadon@inconnect.com)
Date: Sun Jan 16 2000 - 09:59:59 MST


-----Original Message-----
From: Technotranscendence <neptune@mars.superlink.net>
To: Extropy <extropians@extropy.com>
Date: Sunday, January 16, 2000 6:13 AM
Subject: Cryopreserving the unborn

>I don't know if anyone has thought of this before, but how about getting
>Right to Life individuals to support abortion by cryopreserving aborted
>fetuses? Surely, cryopreserving them would be cheaper. If we can get them
>to fund this sort of thing, it would be a way to both spread cryonics and
>defuse a very deep conflict in Western societies.
>
>Perhaps we could analyze this problem from two angles. One would be
>technical feasability. The other is whether Right to Life groups would be
>willing to support -- financially, politically, or morally -- this option.
>
>What do you think?
>
>Daniel Ust
>http://mars.superlink.net/neptune/
>

I doubt they would support it, it's too "weird" and "un-natural". Besides,
many of the women getting the abortions may be unwilling to participate,
which is their right to decide. Many pro-life people already offer to adopt
a mother's children if she bears them instead of getting an abortion, and
these same pro-life people would presumably be the ones raising the children
once they were revived (and who wants that? They'd be psychologically safer
being raised by pedophiles). Furthermore, I think some abortion procedures
are destructive to the fetus, so it's not feasible.
But, scientifically, you've inspired in me an interesting point. A
fertilized egg can be cryopreserved, implanted into a womb, and develops
into a child with no problems. So, I propose that we start here and work up.
Start with a mouse zygote, the procedure for cryopreservation is already
adequate, but could be perfected. Once it's perfected, allow the zygote to
develop a little further and see if we can still do it, work a little more
until we can develop something after 2 or 3 days development.. etc.. until
we can cryopreserve a fully mature mouse. The benefit of this approach is
that you'd be bringing up problems one at a time.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Zeb Haradon
My personal website:
http://www.acsu.buffalo.edu/~haradon
A movie I'm directing:
http://www.elevatormovie.com



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