Journal of Nursing Research Perspectives

Human cryopreservation is an emerging practice involving the storage of bodies or body parts at ultra-low temperatures.This practice raises profound legal and conceptual questions about personhood, contractual identity, and medical categorization.A vital element is to understand the legal status of the cryopreserved individual, i.e., whether they are best understood as a patient or consumer.The question arises because, often, cryonics organisations refer to preserved individuals as "patients," yet also use terms like "member" or "client," reflecting a semantic ambiguity with significant legal implications.This paper argues that a critical distinction must be drawn between the person who signs the cryopreservation agreement and the individual under nitrogen.The former is engaged in a commercial transaction; therefore, he/she may be classified as a consumer under contract and consumer protection law.The latter seems to better fit into the patient category.