Establishing an appropriate ethical framework: the moral conversation around the goal of prolongevity.

This article presents a triadic framework for ethical discourse around the biogerontological goal of prolongevity, which might someday become achievable through the deceleration of aging. The methods are those of the humanities and philosophical analysis. The perspectives of natural law, equalitarian justice, and beneficence are presented in a balanced manner, although the conclusion reached is that the goal of prolongevity through decelerated aging is ethically valid as a potential means to the beneficent amelioration of the many diseases for which old age is the major susceptibility factor.