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by d4adb33f 3451 days ago
> From a society's perspective opt-out makes perfect sense." It's very troubling to follow that line of thought. It's also arguably in societies interest to make all your private medical data publicly available for research and all your private communications, purchases and movements available to any government agency to prevent crime etc. How many people would be comfortable with what are considered by many to be fundamental rights being opt-in all of a sudden?

Straw man argument. People don't die with immediate effect for lack of public data.

> "The state isn't invading your corporeal sovereignty". It is, in the most fundamental and intimate way possible. If you support opt-out at least be honest about what it is. I carry an organ donation card but this is a line I think should not be crossed. There are alternative which don't make your body ownership opt-in (like doctors guidelines about approaching families etc).

You are dead. What rights do you really need and how are they violated?

2 comments

While i support opt out, you do have rights after you're dead, otherwise your wills would have no power and you would not be able to leave inheritance.
Sure, but this has no relation to what happens to your body when you are dead, unless you deed your body in your will.
> You are dead. What rights do you really need and how are they violated?

I see two possibilities. One, the state of my body affects what will happen to me. Two, I am mostly dead, and cryonics (and some future tech) could save me.

The first requires something supernatural. My probability: "no way in hell". The second requires cryonics to work. In theory, in practice, economically, and for me in particular. My probability: "one hell of a long shot".

Even if my organs do matter to my dead being, doctors still have lives to save…

Anyone who beliefs cryogenics will save them will surely make the proper arrangements, and will certainly register themself as a non-donor in any opt-out system. This is a non-issue if your mind is made up; you can opt-out, by design.
Many cryonics solutions are head-only to save costs. So it's not mutually exclusive with organ donation.

(by the way, I'm pretty sure that's what inspired the live heads in jars in Futurama.)

One may register for cryonics, and still donate organs.

I'm not sure I need my heart, kidneys etc. for future reconstruction. Important information might be located in the gut, but I'm sure we can extract many organs without touching those neurons.

Even then, I may be willing to sacrifice my hope of resuscitation to save lives today. And that's if I even bother registering for cryonics —as tempting as it is.

I'm good with losing state after death. It's not like people aren't maimed (involuntary) before death also.

I'm also good with door number two. If you are to be cryonically preserved then you should not even need to opt-out as you are not "dead".