Is It Ethical to Raise a Baby Inside an Artificial Womb?

Academics who invented artificial wombs to prevent premature babies from dying; In this study, they first used this device in fetal in lambs It tells you what they tested.

Researchers of this device premature lambs that it has been instrumental in their development. In fact, according to the observation they made for 1 month, the lambs showed a very good development, just as expected. Here are the details of the research…

This artificial womb device is actually a transparent bag filled with synthetic intrauterine fluid.

There is a machine outside the bag. This is tied to the baby’s umbilical cord (attached to the lamb, as you can see in the picture) so that it plays the role of the placenta, a tissue that develops inside the uterus during pregnancy. So bleed nutrients and oxygen is being given. In addition, this device also allows waste gases such as carbon dioxide to be expelled, in other words, it functions as a dialysis.

We can liken it to a newborn incubator. In addition, this system is completely isolated from the environmental effects that a baby in the mother’s womb may be exposed to. So what do we mean by this? Example; the child in the womb of a smoking mother, to the harms of smoking is exposed. Or, the child of a mother who drinks alcohol or uses medical drugs will not be affected positively. Here is the artificial womb; It provides the baby with a sterile environment completely free from these negative environmental factors.

The academics who carried out the research; he says they made this device so that the mother can do everything she does to the baby. In other words, thanks to this device, the fetus (baby in the womb – this stage covers the period from the 3rd month of pregnancy to birth) growth and maturation may occur.

The researchers explain that they first tried the device on the lamb: Actually, we observed the normal growth phase of the lamb. We saw a normal development in the lamb’s lungs, brain and many visible and measurable limbs. in three or five years in premature human babies We would love to try this device too’.

For example, experts keep the lamb in a warm, dark room where they can image it with ultrasound. Then she makes him listen to the heartbeat of a mother. On top of that, the animal really feels like it is in the womb. The reason why they chose the lamb as a test subject in terms of human development We can say that they think it sets a good example.

In short, as you can see, the development of the baby is ensured with a completely artificial uterus close to the original uterus. In fact, researchers have already made this discovery. miracle of technology looking as. At this point, an important question arises. In fact, a living being in a condition to die is tried to be kept alive because of the motto of the medicine focused on survival, postponing death as much as possible. So how true is this? And if that’s called living…

For example, how can such a device be tested on humans? Would that really be ethical?

Many scientists draw attention to the ethical side of this issue. Dena Davis, a professor of bioethics at Lehigh University, says the device will have painful results if it is tested in humans. Because if the artificial womb fails for a human fetus, it means a lot of people suffer for an experiment. That in itself is a risk already.

Davis said, “Is it because a baby dies calmly or because of this device? to die in pain better?” he asks. So the professor is worried about testing the artificial womb in humans.

Alan Flake, the expert at the beginning of the research, says that ethical concerns should be ignored a little in order to get positive results. According to him, babies can experience various disabilities when they are born too early. For example, about 90% of these babies who survive, have cerebral palsy (cerebral palsy), mental retardation, convulsions, paralysis, blindness and deafness. diseases appears to have emerged.

So, according to the expert, living like this is already a bad situation. If a normal pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks, this device is used for babies born at 23 or 34 weeks pregnant. What is meant here is, your artificial womb In fact, it is a device produced to make people live in a healthier way. Researchers estimate that approximately 30,000 babies are born earlier than 26 weeks each year in the United States. Just because of this ratio, Flake means that when there are so many prematures and he can help them, there is no need to spoil the work with undue worries.

In fact, Davis adds yet another question to his questions: This is the death of a baby. living in a box How can parents accept him to continue his life?

In addition, the professor states that even if this technology works, the fine line between fetus and baby may disappear. So what is meant here is: We are either born or die. Is the creature grown in the artificial womb a baby or a fetus? According to the expert this distinction it gets blurry. According to him, by trying to force someone to die, he to a living creature It would be more accurate to say that they do nothing but transform.

In addition, this device can mimic the process of women getting pregnant. Thus, even a pregnant device can be produced, which means that a natural feature unique to women is captured through medical technologies.

Thus, embryos can be grown completely outside the body. In fact, Davis, referring to the 1997 movie Gattaca (where a superior, perfect human race was produced for special missions, playing with genes), says that even such a possibility would be quite dystopian if it did happen. In fact, scientists are already using stem cells. sperm, egg and embryo trying to produce assets such as There is also work being done to produce an artificial version of the female reproductive system.

For example, these devices can be used for evil purposes. As you say, Scott Gelfand, a bioethicist at Oklahoma State University, worries that some policies could use this to force women to have abortions. According to the expert’s theory, women can have abortions and then fetuses taken from them, to artificial wombs can be placed.

Again, employers may require women to use an artificial womb to eliminate maternity leave altogether. You know that birth has become a sector and in this field serious money it turns. For example, insurance companies may offer to switch to the artificial uterus system in order not to cover the costs of birth. From a sociological point of view, the first field to be included in the field of medicine was already childbirth.

In traditional times, it was done collectively at home, women’s from experience In the modern period, births performed by methods such as cesarean section, accompanied by specialists, have taken the place of births.

This transition is a time when people face pain and hardship. coping motives It is about evolving into a situation that weakens people and leaves people in need of medical care. With the medicalization of childbirth, women even began to hire birth coaches, with whom they consulted every move they made during their pregnancy.

We can also say that the pregnancy process, which previously developed jointly in daily life, has been defeated by the modern man’s rational (I use this concept in the sense of mechanical reason/thinking here) actions. Thus, all practices related to pregnancy stages, in the expert profile started to be determined by individuals. This has resulted in women not having to think about what would be good for them and their children.

In other words, I can say that birth, which is a simple natural state specific to daily life, has officially turned into a capitalist market and has been included in the health industry. In fact, according to sociologist Barbara Katz Rothman, the technological transformation of pregnancy into an artificial womb isn’t a good thing. Considering the reasons mentioned above, we find this idea of ​​the sociologist logical. Because the sociologist said that raising a child in an artificial womb, rejection of the human-baby bond thinks it means.

Flake and his team are only interested in keeping premature babies alive, an artificial womb that can get pregnant He says they don’t bother to produce. They see the criticisms of other researchers as an obstacle to the progress of science. From a logical perspective, the concerns of other researchers are not unfounded.

So what do you think about this? Do you think it is right that technology goes beyond the natural features of life? You can express your thoughts in the comments.

• Resources: npr, nature
• Image Sources: Elle, JSTOR Daily, Popular Science, Neo Life, Futurism, The Independent, Futurism 2, ZME Science, Works In Progress, VICE