An euthanasia/abortion ship

den Otter (neosapient@geocities.com)
Fri, 2 Apr 1999 20:52:39 +0200

During a recent meeting of our local transhuman group, we came opon the following (no doubt unoriginal) idea; terminally ill cryonicists could have euthanasia and the initial stages of cryopreservation performed onboard a ship under some flag of convenience. Of course, as there are so few of us, the next logical step was to make it a public euthanasia facility, with perhaps ("alternative") medicine and abortion options while you're at it. There should be quite a market for such a service which would not only cut through all the red tape, but would also help to make an otherwise (very) unpleasant experience somewhat more bearable (the ship would offer the comforts of a standard holiday cruiser, and you'd be in a supportive environment, surrounded by
"peers" etc.)

Though old, but fully fitted and seaworthy cruise ships can occasionally be saved from the scrapper for as little as 1,000,000, or one could start out with some smaller (cheaper) vessel and expand from there. A group of people could buy the ship and basically run it like a company with shareholders etc. Perhaps the most logical sequence would be starting with a fairly cheap abortion boat (this is no doubt also the legally easier option) and use the money to finance a bigger and more luxurious euthanasia/abortion/cryosuspension/alternative treatment ship.

The most important issue is the legal one of course; what flag (of convenience) to use? Perhaps some backward country which simply doesn't have euthanasia/abortion rules, if something like that exists, could be used. The occasional deposit on its ruler's bank account could further guarantee "smooth sailing". Suppose this is possible, would other countries give you any serious trouble? What would their legal possibilities be for harassment (assuming you stay in international waters all the time)? Would a person who had received euthansia and cryonic treatment be autopsied when
"imported" into the US?

Thoughts, anyone?

Btw, a search on Altavista, Hotbot and various abortion/euthanasia sites gave absolutely no relevant results. Surely something like this must have been tried, or at least proposed before?