# What does it mean to be a person? How sacred is human life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 9, 2000, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448 "2000-02-09T19:28:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cooper)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448/21 "2000-02-10T19:47:00Z")
> [@](#): > > If we are going to go by cost, every criminal should be put to death to save the cost of housing them Actually, there have been some prisons that actually make money for the state. Granted, it is due to a Federal contract but it has happened. In any case, a convicted criminal is almost invariably expected to work 40 hours a week - if it is useful labor they are doing then they probably more than offset the cost of their housing and feeding. ---
**Author:** ![tracer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tracer/32/20578_2.png) [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448/22 "2000-02-10T22:12:00Z")
And if a prisoner refuses to work, what do they do? Throw him in jail? ---
**Author:** ![Surgoshan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Surgoshan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surgoshan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448/23 "2000-02-10T22:35:00Z")
Tracer, I may be wrong, but in prison, there are worse things than prison. If a person or a clone (another person) are braindead, couldn’t we [callous] use them for spare parts? I mean, they’re there for the taking, the bodies won’t need them any more, hell, they’re braindead, ain’t comin back, right?[/callous] Um, I recall the study that put monetary value on human life. Or I recall **a** study. It was a study of how much value nations put on a human life. I think that the U.S. was at the top with something over a million US dollars. This was based on lawsuits and the like, I believe. And I believe it was done by worldbank. As to the list, kill the 40 year old mass murderer/rapist. 20/21 are the same thing, and as far as I can tell, they’re already dead. The body may live, but the person is gone. 22, what gives? It’s a person, right? The terminally ill should only die if they want to. There’s a chance, but they also have to deal with pain. Anyway, it’s **their** choice, not mine. The woman what’ll die if she gives birth, I’m assuming that C-secion is out. As tis, I’d get rid of, sadly enough, the baby. As for the rest, why kill any of them? * * * I sold my soul to Satan for a dollar. I got it in the mail. ---
**Author:** ![DoctorJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctorj/32/2904_2.png) [@DoctorJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DoctorJ)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2000, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448/24 "2000-02-10T23:33:00Z")
_Slate_ discussed the valuation of human life in an article a while back about seat belts on school buses. They say that the US DOT has arrived at a figure of $2.7 million for a human life, while other economic studies have placed the amount between $3 million and $7 million. They determine this by estimating the wage that people accept to take high-risk jobs. You can read it here: [http://slate.msn.com/code/Explainer/Explainer.asp?Show=5/11/99&idMessage=2761](http://slate.msn.com/code/Explainer/Explainer.asp?Show=5/11/99&idMessage=2761) Dr. J [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-person-how-sacred-is-human-life/17448.md?page=1)