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Artificial Wombs

spud_meister

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Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?
 
Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

I made a thread a long time ago about what would people like to see invented in the future, and this is the invention I said I would like to see. If an unborn baby could be saved from slaughter by being in an artificial womb, then that has to be a better option. So, yes, I would support the development of artificial wombs.
 
Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

Viability has a certain legal consequence. The main problem would be for the girls that could otherwise have easily aborted.
 
So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use?

Yes, I would absolutely support the development of artificial wombs. Think of the freedom this would give families to determine their own reproduction.

There's a part of me that would like to limit the deployment of artificial wombs, so that only married couples could use them-- but I can't in good conscience support such a measure, as it would be a violation of the reproductive rights of the individual.

And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

Not if the child is going to be put into an orphanage. Placing the child into an artificial womb should be conditional upon a family taking temporary responsibility for the child, until it is born and available for inspection. If there's no family waiting for a child, it should not be gestated.
 
Oh, this is an accomplishment to write home about...

:roll:
 
Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

We discussed this awhile ago with a poster named RiverDad, havent seen him lately. He also proposed this as a solution to abortion.

I think that many people that would like a child and the woman cannot carry it to term, would benefit from this. It could offer hope to many.

And yes, reducing abortion is everyone's goal (as far as I know.) But I dont see how this solves many of the issues surrounding abortion.

The woman must be willing to undergo the transfer process, which would also have some health risk, even if minor. It would violate her rights to force her to undergo it and the govt wouldnt even know about the pregnancy unless a woman revealed it. Otherwise it would require violating her right to privacy.

Even so, I bet many would agree to it....if they were assured that they had no responsibilities towards the embryo after the transfer.

That brings us to who is responsible for the unborn in the artificial wombs:

--who's paying for the transfer procedure?
--who's paying for the maintenance and care of the unborn?
--who is paying for them after they are born? Foster care costs taxpayer $.

I think alot would be adopted but even today, unless parents are assured a baby is 'perfect' they usually dont want it (there are many exceptions, some people do take special needs children/babies). But probably not all would be adopted, since we cant even get all 100,0000+ available in the US today adopted.

RiverDad said that he felt the mother should pay for the upkeep of the unborn while developing in the artificial womb which to me, means there would be no point in women choosing that option.

So what is the practical side to this idea and exactly what issues are we solving? To me it seems like we'd just be producing more unwanted and unaffordable kids. (And again, we have over 100,000 awaiting adoption now).
 
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Once the technology is perfect I think it could produce even healthier babies. Think about it. The fetus would be under constant medical watch and would be receiving the perfect proportions of nutrients without all the other crap the average person puts into their bodies.
 
How about we invent artificial scrotums to hold men's testicles until they are ready to start a family?
 
When this came up before, I made this point.

How do you purpose to safely move the embryo or fetus to the artificial womb?

This will never ever be a substitute for abortion because the procedure to safely transfer would require essentially the same type of surgery as a C-section. That is major surgery with anesthesia and complications. Logically, I do not see how to dilate a cervix that is not ready to be naturally dilated large enough to safely transfer the fetus.

By the way....in all seriousness....I was told that TELEPORTATION would be a way in the future to do this.

So, while it would be a potential valuable medical device.....the real use would likely be for women desperately trying to maintain pregnancies and willing to go through major surgery with all the inherent risks to do this. Clearly not any substitute for abortion .....

Oh please....let the teleportation argument come up again.:)

Pragmatically speaking....perhaps spending more time on more reliable accessible available birth control would be helpful. A long term birth control for men would be especially helpful in decreasing abortions.
 
I don't think it will ever happen that you can transfer a fetus from a woman's UTERUS into an artificial one. Even in embryo transfer in horse and cattle farming, the embryo is flushed BEFORE implantation into the uterus. That's because it cannot be transferred afterward.

If, by some stretch, it ever did become possible, it would just be one more option for the woman to choose from. I would never be okay with it being mandatory.
 
As a cure or substitute for abortion, I would feel very sorry for the artificial womb children. If the kids are gestated and then tossed into an orphanage or adoption system, I can't imagine how unloved and unwanted they could possibly feel. Knowing that your biological mum didn't even want to carry to you to term would have to sting on top of everybody else in society not providing you with a family structure.

Large numbers of orphaned children are a huge social problem in countries like India. Researchers have found that there is a generational cycle of children growing up without family structure, not knowing how to provide a solid family structure, and eventually abandoning their own children to the orphanages. The cycle constantly repeats itself. I remember India making appeals to the German media to "please adopt our children" years ago.
 
As a cure or substitute for abortion, I would feel very sorry for the artificial womb children. If the kids are gestated and then tossed into an orphanage or adoption system, I can't imagine how unloved and unwanted they could possibly feel. Knowing that your biological mum didn't even want to carry to you to term would have to sting on top of everybody else in society not providing you with a family structure.

Large numbers of orphaned children are a huge social problem in countries like India. Researchers have found that there is a generational cycle of children growing up without family structure, not knowing how to provide a solid family structure, and eventually abandoning their own children to the orphanages. The cycle constantly repeats itself. I remember India making appeals to the German media to "please adopt our children" years ago.

I know. Why enable a system generating more unwanted kids? That is an undesirable result for any child but to create more?
 
Since this thread is in the abortion forum, how do folks thinks this applies to abortion ?

How would the fetus be transferred to the womb. It would clearly require a procedure that is much more involved and potentially harmful to the woman - possibly even a C-section type procedure.

If this is a replacement for abortion..who is going to pay for the womb? Who is going to pay for the surgical procedure to transfer? Are folks really sure all of those babies are adoptable? The foster system is already overburdened.

I do not doubt that this invention would have phenomenal implications for families with fertility issues or with physical issues preventing completion of gestation. But this is being presented in an abortion forum.

I think this has minimal application for most women considering abortion.
 
Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

it is less ethical than abortion but many pro lifers may support it.
 
it is less ethical than abortion but many pro lifers may support it.

Can you imagine the cost?

ANd heck, if it takes a C-section type of procedure to safely remove the fetus from the womb...the woman who could not afford to take time off and care for a child (in addition to her born children) would now have to take off a chunk of time to recover from surgery?
 
Here's an interesting read: Artificial wombs: The coming era of motherless births? | Genetic Literacy Project

Artificial wombs will be a reality some time this century, and this carries a lot of implications.

So, would you support the development of artificial wombs? Would you place limits on their use? And, the reason for posting it in this forum, would you like to see abortion replaced with the implantation of the foetus into an artificial womb, so it can be grown and adopted out, or put in an orphanage?

Abortion should be illegal.

Artificial womb use should be limited to when either:

a. the mother dies while the unborn child is too young to safely live outside the womb
b. the child is born too early to safely live outside the womb
c. it is medically necessary for the mother to receive treatments that would endanger the life of the unborn child
d. the continuation of the pregnancy would gravely endanger the mother's life

As a side note, IVF should be strictly prohibited.
 
There will never be wide-spread support for artificial wombs by the right-wing. They won't give up abortion as a wedge political issue, and they would suddenly have to deal with the economic and social reality of their position. Instead of discarding or freezing IVF embryos, they would have to be brought to fruition. Millions upon millions of children would be wards of the state. It would be more of a welfare state than anything the left could possibly dream of.
 
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