Towards the Regulation of Cryonics in Argentina: A Legal, Ethical, and Scientific Milestone

1mPossible at the Forefront of Argentina’s First National Cryonics Framework

10/10/20252 min read

Regulation of Cryonics in Argentina: Legal, Ethical and Scientific Perspectives

Published in: Revista de Ciencia de la Legislación (IJE Editores), October 2025
Read the original article: Hacia la Regulación de la Criónica en Argentina – IJE Editores

Introduction

Cryonics refers to the preservation of human bodies at extremely low temperatures in a metabolically inactive state, often misinterpreted as permanent death. Its goal is to enable future reanimation once medical and technological progress allows for the restoration of biological function.

While countries such as the United States, Russia, and Switzerland have developed protocols and laws allowing individuals to choose cryonic preservation post-mortem, Argentina currently lacks a specific legal framework.
This absence of regulation limits scientific advancement and restricts individuals’ freedom to dispose of their own bodies after death, a fundamental expression of personal autonomy.

Legal Context in Argentina

The study analyzes Argentina’s Constitution, Civil and Commercial Code, and patient rights legislation to explore how existing principles can already support cryonics as a voluntary and ethical medical option.

Key findings include:

Constitution (Article 19 & 75, Inc. 19): guarantees personal autonomy and promotes scientific progress, both compatible with cryonics.
Civil and Commercial Code (Articles 51, 60, 61): allows individuals to dispose of their bodies for scientific purposes, which could include cryonic preservation.
Law 26.529 (Patient Rights): ensures the right to informed consent and medical self-determination.
Law 24.193 (Transplants): currently regulates organ donation and could be amended to include cryonics under proper consent and state supervision.

Ethical Considerations

From a bioethical standpoint, the authors emphasize three core principles:

Autonomy: each person should have the right to decide the post-mortem disposition of their body.
Beneficence and non-maleficence: regulation should guarantee high safety and transparency standards to prevent misuse.
Justice: while cryonics may initially be costly, fair regulation ensures it remains an ethical, transparent, and scientifically justified practice, preventing false commercial claims and ensuring public oversight.

Proposed Regulatory Model

To integrate cryonics into Argentine law, the paper proposes:

1. Amendment of Law 24.193 to recognize cryonics as a valid post-mortem disposition.
2. Creation of a National Registry of Cryonics Declarations, allowing citizens to formally express their consent during life.
3. Regulation of cryonics providers, ensuring technical, sanitary, and ethical standards.
4. Designation of a supervisory agency (e.g., INCUCAI or a new biotechnological authority) for state oversight.

Such measures would ensure ethical practice, patient safety, and scientific integrity, while giving legal certainty to those who choose cryonics.

Social and Scientific Impact

The regulation of cryonics could have transformative effects on multiple levels:

Scientific progress: positioning Argentina as a regional leader in biotechnology and regenerative medicine.
Economic development: fostering new industries, startups, and research centers.
Human rights: guaranteeing the freedom to choose cryonic preservation as an act of personal autonomy.
Environmental benefits: future applications could also aid in biodiversity preservation and conservation of endangered species.

Conclusions

The paper calls for a paradigm shift: redefining “clinical death” as metabolic arrest, potentially reversible through future technologies.
Recognizing cryonics as a regulated biomedical practice aligns with the right to health, the right to scientific progress, and the principle of human dignity.

Proper legislation would not only secure ethical oversight but also open the door to Argentina becoming a global reference in life-extension technologies.

Key message

“Cryonics should be understood not as a form of post-mortem preservation, but as an extension of life-support science — a bridge between present medicine and future recovery.”

Read the full article (in Spanish):
Hacia la Regulación de la Criónica en Argentina – Revista de Ciencia de la Legislación (IJE Editores)