The Parliaments and Civil Society in Technology Assessment is a project of the European Union. By bringing stakeholders of healthcare together it hopes to design policy, gather technological solutions, and promote awareness of assisting an ageing society. I participated in one of its workshops at which we listened to possible scenarios and then had to come up with ideas about how to help society with technology. I enjoyed it very much. A key question was what would happen to society if we all lived beyond 130. Life expectancy in classical Greece or Rome was 30 years. Starting in the 19th century it slowly changed. Since 1840, life expectancy at birth has risen about three months per year. This means that every year a newborn lives three months longer than those born the previous year. Sweden, which keeps exceptional demographic records, documents a female life expectancy of 45 in 1840 and 83 today. When living beyond a hundred becomes a decision, rather than an opportunity, it is going to pose ethical issues to society it has never had before There is a saying that the first person to live beyond 150 has already been born. If it is true, we might be the new generation of super–centenarians. Source
