For decades, the concept of developing infants outside of the body has been the subject of books and films. Artificial gestation is now being investigated by research groups throughout the world. One team, for example, raised a lamb for four weeks in an artificial womb. Artificial gestation for lambs and sharks has also been attempted by Australian scientists. Researchers in the Netherlands won €2.9 million (A$4.69 million) in recent weeks to develop a prototype for pregnant preterm newborns. As a result, it's critical to explore some of the ethical implications of this technology.

 

What is an Artificial Womb?

Ectogenesis is the process of growing a fetus outside of the womb (or exogenesis). But now we're doing it in one way or another. Partial ectogenesis occurs when premature infants are placed to humidicribs to complete their development in a neonatal hospital. An artificial womb, on the other hand, could prolong the time a fetus can be carried outside the body. We may one day be able to do up with human wombs entirely. This may seem much further, but many reproductive biotechnology researchers believe that with the right scientific and legal support, true ectogenesis will become a reality in the future.

 

What does an artificial womb contain?

An exterior shell or chamber would be required for an artificial womb. That's where the embryo will be implanted and protected while it develops. Acrylic tanks, plastic bags, and uterine tissues extracted from an organism and artificially kept alive have all been employed in animal research so far. A synthetic alternative for amniotic fluid, which acts as a shock absorber in the womb during natural pregnancy, would be required for an artificial womb.  Lastly, a means of exchanging oxygen and nutrients would be required (so oxygen and nutrients in and carbon dioxide and waste products out). To put it another way, scientists would have to create an artificial placenta. Complex catheter and pump systems have been employed in animal research. However, there are proposals to use a miniature version of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, which is a technique for oxygenating blood outside the body. Once they are in place, artificial gestation could become as routine as IVF, a process that was once deemed groundbreaking. And, as with IVF, many people are anxious about what this new field of reproductive medicine might entail for the future of family building.

 

Premature babies may benefit from artificial wombs

The main focus of the debate over artificial wombs has been on their ability to improve the survival rate of extremely preterm babies. Those newborns before 22 weeks of pregnancy currently have a slim chance of survival. Those newborns at 23 weeks are more likely to be disabled. The use of a sealed "bio bag" that simulates the mother's womb could help extremely preterm newborns survive and have a better quality of life. A bio bag contains oxygen, a sort of amniotic fluid substitute, access to the umbilical cord, and all of the necessary water and nutrients (and medicine, if required). This could allow the gestation period to be extended outside the womb until the kid has developed sufficiently to live independently and with a good chance of survival.

 

Infertility and fertility may be helped 

Women who are infertile for medical or social reasons may be able to have a child with the help of this new reproductive technology. It may also provide options for transgender women and those women born without a uterus to bear children, as well as those who have lost their uterus due to cancer, injuries, or other medical issues. It could also make it possible for lone males and homosexual male couples to have babies without the use of a surrogate. This will lead to a bigger conversation about gender roles and reproduction equality. Will it eliminate the dangers and expectations associated with pregnancy and birth that today affect exclusively women? Will commercial surrogacy become obsolete as a result of this? Artificial wombs could also aid fertile women who don't want to be pregnant for health or personal reasons. It would allow persons whose professions, medications, or lifestyle choices could ordinarily put a developing fetus at risk of deformity or abnormalities to do so.

 

Artificial wombs have the potential to hurt women, perpetuate inequity, and lead to prejudice.

The prospect of artificial wombs may provide optimism for some, but it also raises a number of risks. For some women, utilizing an artificial womb to maintain gestation may seem like a better option than terminating a pregnancy. However, there are concerns that other women considering abortion may be forced to use an artificial womb to continue their pregnancy. Artificial wombs are already being debated as to whether they should be allowed to impact a woman's choice to choose. Artificial wombs may also widen the gap between affluent and poor people. Prospective parents who are wealthy may choose to pay for artificial wombs, while those who are less will rely on the bodies of women to carry their children to term. Nutritional and microbial exposure discrepancies between pregnancies across socioeconomic differences could be amplified.

 

This creates difficulties of access distribution. Will the government fund artificial wombs? If that is the case, who should decide who is eligible for subsidized access? Is there going to be a criterion to meet?

 

Other concerns include the possibility of prejudice against those born in an artificial womb. How can we avoid discrimination and intrusive exposure, as well as ensuring that people's origin stories are not the topic of negative public interest or ridicule? Others may find artificial wombs repulsive and fundamentally incompatible with the natural reproductive order.

 

Getting ready for future wombs

There is currently no human-sized artificial womb prototype. And the technology is still in its early stages. However, before racing headlong into new reproductive technology, we must address ethical and legal considerations.

 

Not only must we ensure that the technology is safe and functional, but we must also assess whether it is the best course to take in various situations.

 

In emergency instances, like as saving the lives of severely premature infants, it may be easier to defend the use of artificial wombs. Using them in other situations, on the other hand, may necessitate broader social and policy issues.

 

Conclusion

The investigation of an artificial uterus will enhance the result and chances for the life of extremely low birth weight fetuses born before 28 weeks of gestation in the area of human fetal, neonatal, and postnatal monitoring; if successful, it could be a milestone. Scientists have had clinical and instrumental control systems in place for decades to check normal and risk pregnancy to check fetal well-being; in particular, fetal and maternal ultrasonic studies, which aid in managing the duration of delivery and could be integrated into the monitoring of the premature infant incubated in a PLS system, are becoming advanced and with high diagnostic value (probably).

 

The PLS remedy will support fetal cardiorespiratory physiology and avoid any negative effects of air-based ventilation, saving millions of babies who die as a result of premature births; the supply of oxygen and nutrients, linked by an artificial placenta, will support fetal cardiorespiratory physiology and avoid negative effects of air-based ventilation. The artificial uterus and placenta will resemble biological settings.