The notion of an artificial womb has existed since British geneticist J.B.S. Haldane introduced the term ectogenesis in 1924. Haldane coined the term to describe a viable pregnancy outside of the womb. He believed that by 2074 only a small percentage of children would come from natural birth. Radical feminist Shulamith Firestone added to the debate, advocating for research into finding the technology for artificial wombs. Despite never giving birth Firestone described childbirth as barbaric and likened it to “shitting a pumpkin.” She believed technology could be used to liberate women from the responsibility of childbirth thereby equalizing the sexes.
For the most part the idea of an artificial womb has been viewed as science fiction. Scientists have spent the last decades working on achieving the technology that could make it a reality. That reality is coming sooner than expected. In April of this year researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia announced the development of an artificial womb. Using 4-week-old lamb fetuses as test subjects, researchers enclosed the lamb fetuses in clear plastic bags which they referred to as a “Biobag”. Although the Biobag has absolutely no resemblance to a womb it has the necessary components needed to protect the fetus from outside elements. In place of amniotic fluid, electrolyte fluid surrounds the fetus. Tubes connected to the umbilical cord are attached to a machine outside of the bag. Functioning like a placenta it provides nutrients and oxygen to the blood, and removes carbon dioxide.
Biobag system design. photo Credit: Nature Communications
The study was led by Dr. Alan Flake, a fetal surgeon at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “We’ve been extremely successful in replacing the conditions in the womb in our lamb model,” said Dr. Flake. “They’ve had normal growth. They’ve had normal lung maturation. They’ve had normal brain maturation. They’ve had normal development in any way that we can measure it.” The use of lambs as test subjects are just the beginning. Researchers hope to create a viable solution for premature human babies. With the development of this new technology doctors would be able to place premature babies in an artificial womb and allow them to fully develop. This would significantly decrease infant mortality rates and health problems that babies born prematurely can encounter throughout their lives. It should also be noted that the artificial womb would only be viable to human babies after 23 weeks in the womb, making the mother’s womb still necessary for conception and early development. The findings of Dr. Flake and his colleagues were published in the journal, Nature Communications.
While there are those like Haldane and Firestone who welcome using technology to make biological advances in childbirth, there is another side. Questions of ethics come into play. What effect could this have on women beyond Firestone’s feministic views? Would we in fact be stripping women of true motherhood and robbing children of the natural bond that occurs within the womb between mother and child? While these questions symbolize a healthy debate about the use of artificial wombs from conception, the research done by Dr. Flake and his team focuses on babies that have already been conceived. This development is extremely promising but it will be years before it is approved for humans. Researchers hope that after successful clinical trials on humans, artificial wombs may replace incubators and ventilators in ten years, making the artificial womb a true possibility for the near future.