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Perspective

Viability and abortion: lessons from ectogenesis?

Pages 625-634 | Published online: 10 Jan 2014
 

Abstract

Ectogenesis is the scientific term for the construction and growth of an artificial uterus that will enable a child to be gestated in vitro. Research into this advancement has been underway since the 1950s, and it has been asserted by some of those working in the field that they will achieve the desired aim of creating an ectogenic incubator within the next 20 years. If, as research indicates, complete ectogenesis will eventually become possible, it will mean an artificial womb could gestate a human baby from embryo to birth and, thus, is technically ‘viable’ from fertilization. As a possible new development in the realm of assisted reproduction, this article revisits the convoluted issue of viability and examines how ectogenesis will have a direct impact on the abortion debate and the legislation that governs this contentious topic.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank David Gurnham and the three anonymous reviewers from the journal for their comments on earlier drafts of this paper.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

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