ECTOGENESIS: Development of Articial Wombs Technology's threat to abortion rights

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | Sunday, August 24, 2003 | Sacha Zimmerman

[presidio9]

Back in January, the abortion rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America held a dinner in Washington to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision.

But the event was far from celebratory, with speaker after speaker warning that a woman's right to choose is in grave danger. "For the first time since Roe vs. Wade, anti-choice politicians control the presidency and both houses of Congress," NARAL Pro-Choice America President Kate Michelman said in a typical speech. "The Supreme Court is one vote away from dismantling the right to choose."

[cogitator]

OK, given our current health-care costs: how much would each artificial womb cost; how much would it cost to bring a fetus to term in one; and if taxes don't pay for that level of care, what will? (But wow, isn't medical technology amazing?)

[dirtboy]

But, however serious the political threat to Roe, the speakers missed a technological threat that could be greater still: ectogenesis.

So a technology that would obviate killing a fetus in order to spare the mother the burden of carrying it to term is a THREAT? This writer seriously needs to re-examine her value system.

[CSM]

"Isn't it about time pro-choicers start thinking of what they will say in response?"

Why would they need a response? The mother doesn't care what happens to the fetus today, why would she care then. I get it, these killers prefer that the baby is flushed down a drain instead of being available to someone to raise in this world.

[Consort]

Hatcheries.

[Jaded]

Bio-Bingo

[Fee]

I think it would be in high demand. Professional career women can immediately transfer their fetus to this artificial womb, and not skip a project meeting due to complications of being physically pregnant. I think enough of them will get the politicians to mandate this as part of their health insurance.

[TheDon]

Whew! Men and women are no longer needed for reproduction. For awhile it was just us guys who were irrelevant.

[cogitator]

I think it would be in high demand.

There might be a demand for it (and those willing to pay the price), but the question about cost most addresses unwanted pregnancies and mothers who don't want to pay anything for a child that they would either abort or put up for adoption. There are now programs/charities that can encourage a mother with an unwanted pregnancy to carry to term and then put up the child for adoption, partly because they'll pay the health-care costs for the mother in order to increase the likelihood of a healthy baby. The artificial womb is an alternative to this type of program, but how much more would it cost compared to the "old-fashioned" way?

[Fee]

I can see ectogensisists buying the unwanted fetuses, combine a little genetic engineering and change the child's skin and facial features to match the profile of highly desirable children for adoption. Since majority of the abortions involve black and Hispanic babies, a geneticist can change them to look more white or Asian to wealthier Americans who are more willing to adopt them. The first entrepreneur that comes out with the business/tech model would make a killing in the adoption business. Feminists would fume and the PC crowd would fume. LOL!!!

[Mr. K]

You would think pro-murder..OOPS i mean pro-"choice" supporters would be thankful that a process could be invented to prevent the death of a child... so both sides can be happy in the abortion debate

The choice is now to remove the fetus (abort the pregnancy) and KILL it or LET IT LIVE an artificial womb...

So what is the problem feminists? We should both be happy now- you get abortion on demand, we get to help save a life...!

[GovernmentShrinker]

I thought that was weird too, and I'm pro-choice. I see no threat at all to the pro-choice position, and in fact an additional option which many women might prefer (and which many prospective adoptive parents might prefer, as it lessens the chances of a birth mother who carried a baby to term, and briefly held it, changing her mind months or years after the adoption).

The real threat from this technology is from political and/or religious extremist groups (e.g. al-Qaeda, neo-Nazis, etc.) which could use it to "manufacture" foot-soldiers by the thousands, who would have no family ties whatsoever, or ties only to the groups' leaders (who would be using captive and effectively anonymous egg donors).

[RussianConservative]

Gads this is Brave New World...alphas and betas and gammas oh my.

Funny thing, in Russia Duma pass legislature severly curtail abortion after 12 weeks...no public outcry, most simply accept as good thing.

[GovernmentShrinker]

A more positive use would be enabling mothers who are having pregnancy complications or separate medical problems, which threaten their own and/or the fetus' survival, to have the fetus transferred to an artificial womb, enabling both parties to survive.

[RussianConservative]

Femanazies can reproduce legion of femanazi with specific genetics added....oh boy, here come not master race but hundreds of thousands master races and clones to fight it out for dominance....every rich guy can now "grow" a million copies of himself....thousands of Bill Gates or Berzinskies....gads.

[GovernmentShrinker]

That's because in Russia there are NO restrictions, obstacles, or significant expense to make it difficult to accomplish the task before 12 weeks. In many U.S. states, such complicating factors, which are entirely imposed by the anti-abortion lobby, are responsible for the great majority of late abortions.

[RussianConservative]

Why bother? Just grow desired result from donations. Insta baby to order.

[colorado tanker]

You don't hear much about "Brave New World," unlike 1984. 1984 didn't happen, but "Brave New World" is scary accurate.

[RussianConservative]

Yet abortion fall steadily to less then 1/4th level of Soviet times without laws, soon unlike US abortion illegal in Russia. Russian birthrate also up 18% in last 4 years. See you on survival of fitest lineup.

[ZeitgeistSurfer]

"Bottle of mine, it's you I've always wanted!
Bottle of mine, why was I ever decanted?
Skies are blue inside of you,
The weather's always fine;
For
There ain't no Bottle in all the world
Like that dear little Bottle of mine"

- Brave New World