#13. New Birth Horizon

Exploring a timeline altering technology that could replace the natural order of things.

A New Era of Reproduction

Since the dawn of time, the process of reproduction has seen very little change. Over millennia, methods to reduce harm have been improved and as a result we’ve seen a significant drop in mortality rates during pregnancy and childbirth. We all know the process. A female grows a fetus in their womb until they are ready to be born. Technologies have been developed over the last few decades with IVF in particular providing an option to couples to aid with fertilization. Nevertheless, the gestation process remained unchanged. Until now.

I first heard of the term ‘Artificial Womb’ in 2020. I remember contemplating what it meant for life to be created outside of our established physical, societal and natural norms. In this article, I will delve into the science and outline the potential benefits and dangers of this game-changing technology.

The Science

Bear with me here.

The scientific term for growing an embryo outside the womb is ectogenesis. People that know me well know that I tend to refer to ‘The Timeline’ when discussing major events. The timeline represents the path that we are on as a species and the changes that happened throughout history that put us here. A good recent example is the atomic bomb. Had the Germans or Russians developed a working bomb before the Americans, we would certainly be in a different timeline. Ectogenesis is a timeline altering technology.

The revolutionary technology, which fosters life outside of the natural womb, is not simply a medical advancement but a redefinition of the birth process. It challenges our deep-seated beliefs about life, nature, and the ever growing role of technology in society.

The potential of ectogenesis extends beyond scientific curiosity, embodying potential solutions to some of our biggest challenges in neonatal care and reproductive health. An advancement on IVF, it represents a significant beacon of hope for parents grappling with infertility and a lifeline for premature infants struggling for survival.

The artificial womb works by replicating the conditions of the natural womb, akin to the iron lung or a dialysis machine replicating the roles of lungs and kidneys. The artificial womb is a machine copy of the natural womb, without the complications associated with it. The technology offers hope to premature infants who currently face an uphill battle for survival by providing the necessary support for these infants to continue their development outside their mother's body.

Game. Changing.

The technology itself is in it’s infancy - pun is fully intended but give me a break my brain is fried from the research - and replicating such a complicated and vital organ will take years if not decades to perfect.

Recreating the complex and dynamic environment of the natural womb, requires precision control of temperature, nutrients, oxygen levels, and hormonal balance. Not a simple task but that has never stopped our revolutionary endeavors..

Parenthood

An obvious area where artificial wombs will be fruitful is in facilitating parenthood. Artificial wombs hold the potential to redefine the boundaries of it, offering another option to those who face obstacles in traditional pregnancy. Individuals with medical conditions that make pregnancy dangerous, as well as for example, same-sex couples who wish to have biological children, will find this tech brings another layer of hope in the pursuit of creating a family.

Nevertheless, the broader impact of artificial wombs in reshaping the concept of family should not be overstated. An alternative to natural gestation challenges traditional notions of motherhood and parenting. It opens up a new world where biological ties can be formed in different ways, redefining what it means to be a parent and how families are created.

The Ethics

As with all timeline altering technology, the advent of ectogenesis brings to the forefront a myriad of ethical dilemmas.

One of the most severe concerns is the potential commodification of human gestation. Without the need for a person [woman] to take on the responsibility of gestation and thus the ability to grow life outside the human body, we must consider the implications of this detachment from the natural process of pregnancy. Without the natural and physical bond between mother and baby, will this lead to a devaluation of the traditional birthing experience, or will it be seen as just another option in the spectrum of reproductive choices?

I’ve mentioned the impact on the opportunities of ‘would be’ parents in the previous section, which touched on the possibilities this tech could bring to people who cannot bear children naturally. We must also consider the impact on traditional family structures and societal perceptions of parenting and motherhood. Ectogenesis challenges deeply ingrained notions of what it means to carry and give birth to a child.

There is also unquestionable complex legal and social questions about parenthood and the rights of the child. I am fair believer in the fact that if something is possible, then it will become reality. With the development of this technology, we must create strong regulations to avoid the lives of children becoming trivialized or abused. As this technology becomes more prevalent, society will need to adapt and develop new norms and laws to address these concerns.

The potential for societal pressure or expectations to utilize artificial wombs, whether for health reasons or as a matter of convenience, raises further ethical considerations. The choice of using an artificial womb must remain just that, a choice, free from coercion or judgment.

Compounding Technologies

Ok, this is where the fun starts! Brainstorming time.

Everyone has heard of Dolly the sheep, the first official cloned mammal. I’m going to attempt to paint you a picture where you will come to understand that the artificial womb is the last piece of the puzzle in the commodified reproduction industry.

The convergence of cloning, artificial intelligence, and artificial wombs opens up possibilities only seen in science fiction. The potential to clone human beings, combined with advancements in AI, could lead to scenarios where we can replicate or even tailor human personalities.

Imagine this. By storing your DNA and uploading the contents of your brain to a storage drive [perhaps Neuralink], what’s stopping a person from cloning themselves using the stored DNA, growing their clone in the artificial womb and then as their child self grows, uploading their brain to the child and basically create a never ending stream of themselves that replace each other when reaching old age? A conveyor belt of ones self but crucially, with the ever growing knowledge of each. Every new version of the clone has more knowledge than the previous.

Now go one step further than that. What’s stopping anyone doing the same for other people? You could use DNA to bring back people from the past such as, an obvious choice when outlining dangers, Adolf Hitler. Assuming such DNA exists of course, you could grow the clone in the womb and then using AI, transmit all information, clips, knowledge, ideologies, etc…related to Hitler into the clone. Sure, it may not be a perfect behavioral clone in this instance but it’s close enough and scary enough.

So with these technologies all being developed in conjunction we have a perfect storm hurtling towards us.

The potential misuse of these technologies in the wrong hands is a serious concern. The ability to clone individuals or create beings with specific traits or abilities will likely be exploited, leading to monstrosities such as tailored workforces or a clone army of super soldiers.

I am the Alpha and Omega

In possessing the power to create life in artificial environments, humanity steps into a role of unprecedented influence and responsibility. Echoing the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end – brings with it a profound responsibility to use it ethically and wisely. The potential for creation is also a potential for manipulation or destruction, raising critical questions about our ethical use of such capabilities.

The creation of cloned beings, potentially augmented with artificial intelligence, is a scenario fraught with possibilities and risks. On one hand, this could lead to medical breakthroughs and a deeper understanding of human genetics. On the other, it could result in the commodification of human life, where beings are created for specific purposes, without consideration for their autonomy or individuality.

The artificial womb, although a medical marvel, is undoubtedly a nuclear weapon. As we wield this power, we must be mindful of the ethical, moral, and philosophical implications.

The New World[s]

So far we’ve touched on the science, the support it can bring, the ethics, benefits and real risks. I’ve also added a dash of religion in there. Now let’s talk the future, interplanetary colonization.

With space exploration and the ongoing attempt to colonize other planets, this tech, reminiscent of narratives from science fiction films like 'Interstellar,' and ‘Passengers’, could enable the propagation of human life in environments beyond our planet. It presents a visionary future where humanity extends its reach into the cosmos. The options are quite frankly endless. You could create life on the ship, mid journey, just by simply taking the required cells and the machinery. You could colonize Mars for example, with actual Mars born humans as the first generation.

Now, the vision of colonizing new planets, while inspiring, also has moral implications. Is it right to birth children in an alien world using quite frankly, alien technology for a specific role or job? We would be bringing life into the world not for them to live but for labor.

Lifeline

In a previous article I wrote titled “Immigration: The Inconvenient Solution” I had postulated that immigration is being used by developed nations to prop up the declining birth rates in their countries. Since the local people aren’t reproducing at a rate that is sufficient to maintain the needs of the population, immigrants are being imported to plug that gap. This is an economic necessity.

With that in mind, the artificial womb can take some of the burden off both the natives and the “inconvenient solution”. Let’s not forget that illegal migration routes are dangerous and death’s are unfortunately, very common. As countries grapple with the prospects of aging populations and shrinking workforces, artificial wombs could emerge as the tool to address this.

Artificial wombs could democratize the process of having children, making it accessible to a broader segment of the population. As mentioned before, they provide hope for individuals and/or couples who struggle with fertility issues or health risks associated with pregnancy, thereby potentially increasing the overall birth rate. On top of that however it could become an important factor related to those who delay or forego parenthood due to career, financial stability, or lifestyle choices. Ectogenesis offers a more flexible and less physically demanding option for having children. Not to mention the physical limitations women have as they age. Removing that barrier may result in higher birth rates among women in the 40s and even 50s. It’s an ethical dilemma but it does solve a problem.

It also takes the ‘burden’ off of women, giving the options for single men or male couples to have kids without women. Naturally, risks of abuse once again arise. With Epstein still at the forefront of our minds, it’s hard not to think of those possibilities.

This technology could help provide a balance in population dynamics though, facilitating a steady workforce and mitigating the economic and social challenges posed by an aging population. Ectogenesis could become a strategic tool to navigate imbalanced social demographics.

In this context, the deployment of artificial wombs transcend medical and scientific domains, positioning itself as a factor in shaping future societies. As the potential of ectogenesis increases, it becomes evident that this technology holds not just the promise of personal fulfillment for aspiring parents but also the potential to impact national and global demographic trends.

The Timeline

We’ve seen that this technology offers incredible benefits, from transforming neonatal care to solving complex demographic concerns. However as we’ve seen, it also poses significant ethical challenges and societal implications.

Although we are still far way from developing a womb that can carry an embryo from conception to birth, the reality is that the more we advance on this technology, the closer we’ll get to it.

This technology in the wrong hands is a serious risk to global stability. The ability to create life independently, using genetically modified genomes with the input of AI, could very easily result in nation states creating super soldiers, corporations creating their own workforce [yikes!] or even vast underworld slave camps. It is quite plausible that situations seen in The Matrix [Wachowski brothers/sisters] and a Brave New World [Aldous Huxley] become reality.

As the future begins to unravel itself, we must anticipate it with an awareness of potential risks while maintaining a deep commitment to the betterment of humanity. Like the atomic bomb, we must manage this timeline altering technology carefully. The benefits of this technology are far reaching but the risks are earth shattering.

I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. - Revelation 22:13

A new birth horizon is upon us.