2008

Would you trade Alzheimer’s for breast augmentation or a luxury cruise? With an ageing population and an overextended NHS, you may find yourself alone, geriatric and diseased in your home, discovering new forms of ‘Care in the Community,’ ordering your food by rescanning barcodes on empty tins of Spam and using a webcam to be diagnosed by your GP. So why not choose a cash windfall and a shorter life? Post Credit Crunch, ‘Genetic Credit’ could give us unprecedented purchasing power. Gamble on your risky future, and opt for an ‘Early Exit.’ You would eliminate the risk of inherited disease and receive a refund for all the healthcare expenses you might otherwise have run up.

Your life might be enhanced—but at what cost?

A short film explores euthanasia as financial service and the psychological effects of knowing your genetic future. Would knowing the risks ahead make it easier to trade a portion of your life for a cash refund? How would it feel to go to the bank for an appointment you made 45 years earlier? And what would you wear?