Ethics Considerations Regarding Artificial Womb Technology for the Fetonate

Ethical, Translational, and Legal Issues Surrounding the Novel Adoption of Ectogestative Technologies

“…32 It is important to note that it is believed that such corrective procedures might be performed without risk of maternal morbidity. 34,40 However, even if ectogestation-aided prenatal treatment (EAPT) could facilitate interventions by allowing it to happen outside the strict intrauterine milieu, this does not necessarily yield the normative conclusion that such usage would be ethically commendable as it may, by the same token, exacerbate potential tensions between presumed moral obligations towards the fetus and the pregnant person. While there is some consensus on the view that, if a pregnancy is set to lead to a child, certain beneficence-based responsibilities exist vis-a-vis this future child, the decision whether to undergo the surgical translocation in case of ectogestation is an extension of this principle of respect for personal autonomy and some authors would consider this decision for the benefit of a future child a supererogatory act.…”

“…While there is some consensus on the view that, if a pregnancy is set to lead to a child, certain beneficence-based responsibilities exist vis-a-vis this future child, the decision whether to undergo the surgical translocation in case of ectogestation is an extension of this principle of respect for personal autonomy and some authors would consider this decision for the benefit of a future child a supererogatory act. 34,[41][42][43][44] It is, in this respect, crucial to grasp the above-mentioned caveat that the surgical intervention on the pregnant person's body is morally relevant, not only because of possible adverse consequences, but also, more generally, in view of their physical integrity, the related right to refuse interventions, the value of autonomy and personal values vis-à-vis pregnancy. 33,45 This ethical matter cannot, in other words, be reduced to physical risks.…”

“…While not considered the primary aim, the idea is gaining traction in present-day accounts that AAPT could improve the feasibility and safety of targeted prenatal therapy. 33 , 34 In earlier discussions, interventions to correct non-lethal conditions have been named in this context, like surgery for hydrocephaly or cleft palate. 40 Here one could also count the satisfaction of the future parents’ wish for a healthy child, and compliance to the presumed duty of beneficence towards the future child among the possible ethical motivations.…”

“…32 Further, the physical impact of the surgical translocation may possibly compromise a person's eventual later reproductive trajectory and is generally compounded by the ethical challenge to justify whether the burdens are proportionate to the envisaged clinical benefits. [33][34][35] We will return to the moral relevance of this surgical intervention below, when we discuss AAPT as a means to advance prenatal therapy. Yet, it may already be noted that the ethical discussion of ectogestation's potential to ameliorate neonatal outcomes in case of extreme prematurity, along with moral questions of what it means for medical personnel and future parents to "do good" in this respect, will be complicated by the ambiguous perception of the invasiveness of the surgical intervention and considerations of the pregnant person's autonomy.…”

Regulating abortion after ectogestation

“…Ectogestation, as this speculative technology is called, raises substantial legal and ethical questions, some of which have been examined elsewhere 4 5. One especially important question is how the development of ectogestation affects abortion rights.…”