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From: tsf+@cs.cmu.edu (Timothy Freeman)
Newsgroups: sci.cryonics,news.answers
Subject: Cryonics FAQ 6: Suspension Arrangements
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked Questions
   and their answers about cryonics, the practice of carefully preserving
   very recently clinically and legally dead people in hopes that they can be
   revived in the future.  It should be read
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Archive-name: cryonics-faq/part6

		  Section 6: Suspension Arrangements

(You can fetch cryomsg "n" by sending mail to kqb@whscad1.att.com or
to kevin.q.brown@att.com with the subject line "CRYOMSG n".  The index
to this FAQ list is cryomsg "0018.1".)

6-1.  How many people are frozen right now?

The July 1992 issue of Cryonics magazine, published by the Alcor
Life Extension Foundation, includes a status report of all the
approximately 60 people who have been cryonically suspended.  
Over 40 of these are still in suspension today; the remainder have
been thawed and buried because their cryonics organization failed
financially.  According to Mike Perry's July 1992 Cryonics magazine
summary of all known cryonic suspension patients, nobody suspended
since 1978 has been thawed out, with one possible exception of a
private suspension done in 1982 for which we have no further
information.  

6-2.  How is suspension paid for?

The person who makes the cryonics arrangements pays for suspension,
usually with life insurance.  Some life insurance companies refuse
to accept a cryonics organization as the beneficiary.  Check with
your insurance agent, or check with your cryonics organization for a
list of cooperative companies.

6-3.  How will reanimation be paid for?

The cryonics organization, relatives, or some charity will pay for
reanimation if it happens.  There is also the Reanimation Foundation,
which is an attempt to allow people to fund their own reanimation.

6-4.  What suspension organizations are available?

For a complete list of cryonics suspension organizations and other
cryonics-related organizations and publications, fetch cryomsg 0004.

The largest cryonic suspension organizations are:

Alcor is not only a membership and caretaking organization but also does
the cryonic suspensions, using Alcor employees, contract surgeons, and
volunteers plus equipment and supplies provided by Cryovita.
    Alcor Life Extension Foundation
    12327 Doherty St.
    Riverside, CA 92503
    (714) 736-1703 & (800) 367-2228
    FAX (714) 736-6917
    Email: alcor@cup.portal.com
    Cryonics magazine, monthly, $25./yr. USA,
	       $35./yr. Canada & Mexico, $40./yr. overseas
	       ($10./yr. USA gift subscription for new subscriber)
   
The American Cryonics Society is the membership organization and the
suspensions and caretaking are done by Trans Time.
    American Cryonics Society (ACS)
    P.O. Box 761
    Cupertino, CA 95015
    (408) 734-4111
    FAX (408) 973-1046, 24 hr FAX (408) 255-5433
    Supporting membership, including American Cryonics and American
	   Cryonics News $35./yr. USA, $40. Canada & Mexico, $71. overseas
	   (Note: The Immortalist (below) includes American Cryonics News.)
   
The Cryonics Institute does its own suspension and caretaking of patients.
    Cryonics Institute (CI)
    24443 Roanoke
    Oak Park, MI 48237
    (313) 547-2316 & (313) 548-9549
    The Immortalist Society, which has the same address and phone number,
	   publishes The Immortalist, monthly, $25./yr. USA, $30./yr. Canada
	   and Mexico, $40./yr. overseas.  Airmail $52. Europe, $62. Asia or
	   Australia.  A gift subscription ($15./yr. USA, $25. outside USA)
	   includes a free book (The Prospect of Immortality or Man Into
	   Superman).

The International Cryonics Foundation has arrangements with Trans Time to
do the cryonics suspensions and caretaking of patients.
    International Cryonics Foundation
    1430 N. El Dorado
    Stockton, CA 95202
    (209) 463-0429
    (800) 524-4456

Trans Time does suspensions and caretaking for both ACS and ICF and also
has taken on suspension customers directly who didn't go through either
non-profit organization.
    Trans Time, Inc.
    10208 Pearmain St.
    Oakland, CA 94603
    510-639-1955
    Email: quaife@garnet.berkeley.edu

6-5.  How can I get financial statements for the various organizations to
      evaluate their stability?

At this point the best option is to send them paper mail or call
them and ask.  I would like to eventually get current financial
statements from all of the on-line.

6-6.  How hard will these people work to freeze me?

The Dora Kent case described above is an example.  See question 4-3.

6-7.  What obligations do the suspension organizations have to the people
      they have suspended?  Will they pay for revival and rehabilitation?

Alcor's Consent for Cryonic Suspension states "there are no
guarantees that any attempt will ever be made to return me to
healthy life".  The Cryonic Suspension Agreement states "Alcor shall
use such methods as its good faith judgement determined will be most
likely to result in preservation and revival of the patient."

Reference: Alcor's book "Signing Up Made Simple", 1987.

6-8.  How long has this been going on?

Robert Ettinger proposed the idea in The Prospect of Immortality
which was published in 1964.  According to the July 1992 issue of
Cryonics magazine, the first person suspended was Dr. James
Bedford.  He was frozen on 12 Jan. 1967 at the age of 73 by the
Cryonics Society of California and is now with Alcor.

Bedford has never thawed during that time. When he was moved to
another dewar in 1991 (?) the original ice cubes were still intact
and several other signs indicated that he had never thawed out. 

6-9.  How much of the resources of the cryonics organizations are reserved
      for reviving patients?

Alcor's approach to this is discussed in detail in CRFT page
A-36.  They compute the costs of liquid nitrogen, dewar maintenance,
rent, etc., per year.  The amount of the trust fund for each patient
is twice the amount necessary to pay for this indefinitely assuming
a 2% return on investment after inflation.  The doubling
mentioned in the previous sentence is to provide a margin for error
and funds for revival. 

Assuming that the costs of storage do not change, and a 2%
return on investment, and the most efficient storage for a
neurosuspension patient, the value of the fund in 1991 dollars y
years after suspension is

   $3300 + ($3300 * (1.02 ^ y))

The corresponding figures for the least efficient storage for a
whole-body patient are

   $84357 + ($84357 * (1.02 ^ y))

Alcor's minimum fee for suspension and storage does not depend on how
they are going to do the storage, so it isn't clear to me how the
numbers derived in CRFT page A-36 should compare to Alcor's suspension
minimums.

6-10.*What should I do if I want to be frozen but my relatives hate the idea?

>>> Question sent to Alcor on Fri Jul 24 17:34:44 1992 <<<

6-11. How can I pay for my own revival and rehabilitation, and keep some of
      my financial assets after revival?

The Reanimation Foundation is set up to enable you to "take it with you"
and provide financial support for your reanimation, reeducation, and
reentry.  It is based in Liechtenstein, which does not have a Rule Against
Perpetuities, and thus allows financial assets to be owned by a person
long after the person is declared legally dead.
    Reanimation Foundation
    c/o Saul Kent
    16280 Whispering Spur
    Riverside, CA 92504
    (800) 841-LIFE

6-12. Is Walt Disney frozen?

No.  There was a time when all of the cryonics organizations would
tell you this.  Since then Alcor (possibly among others) has realized
that if they admit when an individual is not frozen, then it is
possible to infer by elimination who is frozen, which they have in
many cases agreed to keep secret.  Thus Alcor will no longer say
anything informative about whether Disney was frozen.  Nevertheless,
Disney is not frozen.