Arthur L. Caplan, Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, wrote an artcile explaining that "there is no intrinsic ethical reason why we should not try to extend our lives."

Does longer life inevitably mean more social misery and economic havoc? One way to answer this question is to ask whether humankind has adjusted to similar changes in the past. If one compares life for say, the ancient Assyrians, Hebrews, Greeks and Romans with life for Syrians, Israelis, Greeks and Italians today, it would seem that longer life has not brought more misery in its wake. Few could seriously maintain that an average lifespan of 35 years is preferable to the 75 years enjoyed today, even if some spend their final years frail, demented or debilitated. And it would be hard to argue that, despite such very real problems as overpopulation, environmental damage and ageism, the quality of life for the average person has decreased so much from the time of our forebears that we live more poorly or less happily today. Few, in other words, would trade their longer lifespan for the much shorter lives lived by their ancestors thousands of years ago.