Cryonics, does Korea think it’s ethical?
Cryonics is the practice or technique of deep-freezing the bodies of people who have just died, in the hope that scientific advances may allow them to be revived in the future.
Video Transcript
Just last month, a husband asked CryoAsia, a bio-freezing technology company, to freeze the body of his wife who died of cancer. This is the second case of frozen humans in Korea after a son had his mother who had passed away in her 80s frozen and preserved last year.
The preservation period is 100 years which currently costs about 86,000 USD. CryoAsia explained that even if the preserved body is thawed in the future, it is extremely unlikely that the subjects will wake up. But the calls still continue regardless, from those who consider cryonics as their only remaining option.
The husband also expressed that after suddenly having to part with his wife, he was struggling but cryonics came as a strand of hope and a great comfort.
The first Korean cryonics applicant had also told the reporters that it wasn't the 100% recovery he was betting on but that one percent chance. After losing his father six months prior to his mother's passing, he was not ready for the death of his mother. Now that he has preserved her body, he considers his mother still alive and believes that they can meet again.
However, in his case, it was not only about the loss but also respecting his mother's dying wishes. In the ambulance, he had felt his mother's willingness to live when she told him she did not wish to leave yet. She was struggling very hard to survive which was what made him decide to preserve her body.
Similar to the two Korean applicants, CryoAsia added that many families request for the company's service to compensate for the sudden loss of their loved ones. Some of them rely on the faint hope of reviving the bodies of those with terminal illnesses when medical technology has advanced.
Under the current law, freezing humans is only possible after death. That is because it involves a dangerous procedure as the technology that can perfectly thaw the body has not yet been developed worldwide.
Clients are also aware that there is no possibility of resuscitation of the body at the moment but they still hold on to a vague expectation that scientific advancements would allow them to be revived in the future. With such limitations, some criticize that cryonics has serious institutional and ethical problems. As it is the case for the two Korean examples, the decision to freeze one's body is made by others on the premise that the subjects would be revived. Cryonics applicants also need to consider the numerous problems including permanent brain damage they could face in the process of life extension and regeneration.
Kim Myung-hee, head of the Korea National Institute for Bioethics Policy pointed out that there might be side effects or sequelae that occur when medical technology is not perfect. She added that this is a complicated issue especially since the choice was made by others and not by the deceased themselves.
It is likely that the person who requested preservation will not be there to take responsibility when the frozen person is resuscitated. Thus, it is a matter that requires a proper institutional and ethical scrutiny.
Others have voiced that cryonics could be just another funeral arrangement if they made their wishes clear before death. For example, it is the same as choosing before death whether they want to be buried or cremated.
However, the matter remains that the freezing technology still has a long way to go.
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