Artificial Womb

1
Artificial Womb

• We offer you childbirth without pain, stretch
  marks, and morning sickness.

2
What is an Artificial Womb?

• First, in 1997 a 17 week old goat fetus was
  removed from its mothers uterus, and survived
  for three weeks in an artificial womb.
• easier and cheaper to establish pregnancies with
  human embryos in other mammals, like cows and
  horses, than it will be to achieve the same thing
  using artificial uteruses
• However, Presidents Council of Bioethics put a
  ban on the implantation of human embryos into any
  non- human animal uterus

3
Is it science fiction?

• An artificial womb for humans would be an
  external device would have an endometrium cell
  and then with a computer system to simulate the
  feed in medium, feed out medium and also have a
  chip controlling the hormone level.
• Its technologically inevitable. Demand is hard
  to predict but significant.

4
Thesis

• This paper will prove, using John Rawls theory
  that the technology for an artificial womb ought
  to be studied and used in the future.

5
Rawls

• John Rawls is a Deontological thinker the
  action is good within itself, not
  consequentiality, and not concerned with the
  outcome.
• Rawlss theory says that societal practices and
  institutions could provoke envy, resentment, and
  alienation among individuals (HCR210S08
  syllabus).

6
Rawls

• He suggests that we should put all our effort
  into seeing to it that the rules of the game are
  fair, and that once society is organized around a
  set of fair rules people can freely play the game
  without interference (HCR210S08 syllabus).

7
Applied to this case

• Artificial wombs would not be threatened by
  irresponsible introductions of alcohol or illegal
  drugs. Every fetus would be kept at the same
  temperature, given the same nutrients, as well as
  on going monitoring by experts in the incubation
  clinics. Every fetus would be treated the same,
  making this more fair than if in a mothers womb
  where the mothers life style eventually affects
  the growing fetus. Every person could begin life
  from a healthy pregnancy.

8
Another Theory of Rawls

• He suggests that we should put all our effort
  into seeing to it that the rules of the game are
  fair, and that once society is organized around a
  set of fair rules people can freely play the game
  without interference (HCR210S08 syllabus).

9
Applied to artificial wombs

• Not only would every fetus be raised in an equal
  environment to their peers, but women would
  also be put on a different, level playing field.
  This technological prospect would free women
  from the tyranny of their reproduction biology
  says feminist theorist Shulamith Firestone, Now
  finally women can reach full equality with men
  (pg.4, Rosen).
• When viewed this way, artificial wombs are
  another step in the ongoing advance of social
  equality. If everyone cooperates, this is to the
  highest advantage and fairness to everyone.

10
Kant

• "Act so as to treat people always as ends in
  themselves, never as mere means (Kant, HCR210S08
  syllabus)."
• The main idea is that everyone is fundamentally
  valuable therefore, we ought to treat people as
  having a value on their own rather than simply as
  useful tools or devices by means of which we can
  satisfy our own goals or purposes.

11
Applied to Artificial Wombs

• may lead to a view of the growing child as a
  thing
• The artificial womb would be a convenience,
  something created as a useful tool to satisfy our
  own goals and purposes.
• There would be a new idea of family the mother
  and father would not be different, thus
  interchangeable.

12
Conclusion

• By applying Rawlss theories one is able to come
  to the conclusion that a chance for a fair game
  among all fetuses is what ought to be done. Even
  though Kantian theories touch on the point that
  the artificial womb is a mere means of
  convenience, in the end, the health of the fetus
  outweighs the doubts some may have of changing
  the family structures in the world. Our feelings
  of awe and curiosity about a mothers womb can
  not be tamed. Our society ought to go forward
  with this technology, thus creating the most fair
  society we can provide from day one of a humans
  life.