Well, as I said to Bob, my experience is in dinghies, where such things
don't exist. I think I'll be taking them off for now and see what I can do
to rig a harness attachment point in the forward part of the boat.

Well, now you're not making any sense at all. If you are daysailing dinghies,
you won't need lifelines. If you are talking about storm jibs and attaching a
harness, and if you ever experience conditions where you actually deploy such
things, you'l be glad you have lifelines. They are not supposed to be a wall
to keep you on deck, but they are something nice to grab if you are sliding
over board in the dark on a bad night. If they are not falling apart, God
knows why you would want to remove them.