Editorial

by John McKinrey
(Note: this is just temporary text for test purposes while the town magazine is being constructed)

Earth Central News: 15 July 2094

With Cryonics Incorporated's recent announcement that the initial subjects used in the well-publicized cryogenic freezing experiments of 2004 are due for reanimation in 3 months, a new flurry of controversy has arisen as to the ethical and social implications of such a project. New laws have been proposed to protect both the subjects and society at large.

Opponents to the reanimation project claim that the introduction of these individuals into this society poses certain threats. At the time of cryogenic freezing, medical technology was primitive. Diseases that we have long ago diagnosed and obliterated from this planet were as yet undiscovered. The social structure and demands upon individuals at that time bore little similarity to those of today's society.

We are, in fact, not prepared for a situation as novel as this. We may find these people really do bring with them diseases that we no longer have a built-up immunity toward. We may find them exhibiting strange behavior problems due to unfamiliarity with our modern society. Unprepared, we may experience difficulty handling this situation.

With minimal planning, we can be quite well-equipped to deal with any such problems that may arise. We have at our fingertips all prior research covering these areas. Yes, we have obliterated a number of illnesses centuries ago; but we have full documentation on what it took to accomplish this obliteration. The social demands and mores are far different today than they were for 20th Century man; but we know exactly what his life really was like. We have the luxury of being able to anticipate what problems may occur before we are faced with them.

Any of these problems can easily be forestalled with appropriate planning. The reanimated individuals can easily go through thorough medical screening, so we do not have to protect society at large. They can be educated as to the ways of modern man such that they can actually incorporate into and contribute to our society. These are not monumental tasks to accomplish.

These functions are actually the responsibility of the scientific community, not our legislature. It is the duty of our Department of Health and Education to determine the scientific associations responsible for handling this situation, request plans for handling this situation, and then oversee the execution of these plans. With this basic approach, any difficulties presented by the reanimation of these 20th Century people will be minimized.