Callie Mckay: For sake of world, immortality research needs to stop

To The Daily Sun,

Wake up, it's time, we are in the 21st century. Science has progressed farther than we could ever imagine, and in some ways, it has not progressed in the way we want it to. Researchers are starting to delve into the study of immortality, and for the sake of the world, this research needs to stop.

Since the 19th century, the average life expectancy has nearly doubled from 47 years old to 81. Because of this, death rates have slowed exponentially, as the birth rates have only accelerated. Just a few years ago, in 2022, we reached a world population of 8 billion people. Comparatively, it took us 120 years to grow from 1 billion to 2 billion. Now it will take us 10 to reach the next milestone.

With this in mind, why should we slow down the rates even more? Researchers are trying to expand our lifespan to 120 years. If we were to do this, it would have major societal and economic consequences.

Daniel Callahan, a person whom this research directly affects, is very against this topic. He expresses it will have very negative effects on Medicare and health support for elders. in his own personal account “At 83, I’m a good example. I’m on oxygen at night for emphysema ... mainly the elderly consume about 65% of health care.” If we continue to seek to extend our natural lifespans, this percentage will skyrocket, and the cost for health will become aggressively higher. Callahan also mentions how medical advances will lead to new and expensive medicines, when will it become too much to handle? When will it become too expensive?

Instead of running away from death, something that happens to all living things, why don't we embrace it? It's a cycle, it happens to nearly everything, and it's beautiful.

Callie Mckay

Gilford