Is it possible to grow a baby outside of the womb?

Question

Like in an artificial womb made by scientists...

Answer 1

A human egg can be fertilized outside of the womb (IVF or test-tube babies) and then implanted back into a receptive womb.

There have been very rare cases where a naturally-fertilized embryo attaches somewhere else in the abdominal cavity instead of inside the uterus. This is called an ectopic pregnancy and is usually very dangerous - these days if they are detected the foetus will be aborted becuase of the extreme risk to the mother's life. It may also require the removal of one of her fallopian tubes (the most common site for an ectopic pregnancy). However, historically there have been EXTREMELY rare cases where the foetus attaches to the outside of the womb, or the inside of the abdominal wall, and grows to term. A c-section is required to deliver the baby.

An artificial womb is still in the realm of science fiction at the moment.

Answer 2

If you haven't done so, read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. He explored the social consequences of just this sort of system. In his world there are no parents. Children are raised by the state. I suppose that if growing babies in a jar were possible it would be a popular for some people. Pregnancy can be very rewarding for some women and very stressful and/or risky for others. The problem is that if the in-vitro option were made available then the women who would be most likely to use it would be those for whom pregnancy was risky. In time more children would be born to women with that risk factor who might themselves inherit that risk and after a while the human race would become dependent on the technique. As for your question on abortion, I think that it would be a non issue. In a system where eggs are fertilized in a dish and a baby is brought to term in a bottle you aren't going to have any accidental "pregnancies." In such a system I think that there would be very stringent screening of sperm and egg donors to eliminate unions that would produce birth defects. Our current culture cannot prevent people who probably should not have kids from doing so. It is something we do instinctively whether it is wise or not. On the other hand an extra-utero system of creating children would be expensive and (hopefully) subject to strict oversight. It would be irresponsible to let anyone into the program without genetic screening. The expense would keep away couples who couldn't afford to have and raise children by the old fashioned method and health insurance which won't pay for fertility treatments today will unlikely pay for babies in a bottle in the future. Someone who has jumped through all those hoops to have a child is going to be very committed to the process. If this becomes technically possible what we really need to fear is that some unscrupulous government will use it to raise an army of ideal solders. Couldn't happen? The Nazi government tried it before WWII. They didn't have in-vitro technology but they did pair up young men and women that fit their racial ideal and took the babies away to be raised in institutions. The Third Reich was defeated before any of these children were old enough to contribute to Hitler's programs.

Answer 3

anything is possible, but i think we are very away from that kind of technology. premature babies have enough trouble surviving as it is, if theyre born only a couple of weeks before they are supposed to

Answer 4

most commonly refered to as test tube babies, it has been done! =] Are your parents your real parents or were you grown in a test tube

Answer 5

Absolutely! Where do you think attorneys come from? ;o)

Answer 6

I don't think so.