Ectogenesis

Ectogenesis is the creation of mammalian life outside the uterus. Ectogenesis nominally refers to the complete artificial creation of life, as described in Aldous Huxley's 1932 novel Brave New World. However, the term has been applied to all technological developments that would result in a shortening of the time required for the fetus to attain viability following implantation in the womb. Ectogenesis involves the application of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation to previable infants whose lungs are incapable of gas exchange. ECMO is a technique used in selected neonatal intensive care units to treat term infants with selected medical problems that result in the infant's inability to survive through gas exchange using the lungs. It is not currently used on preterm infants. Such experimentation on human preterm infants has not been reported. However, experiments on fetal goats have occurred and have resulted in maintenance of life for several weeks outside the uterus in previable goat fetuses. Issues related to nutrition and hormonal stability remain to be addressed.The application of ECMO to preterm human fetuses has the potential to avoid complications of conventional neonatal intensive care, such as lung damage and stroke. It also has the potential to move the threshold of fetal viability to a much earlier stage of pregnancy. This would have implications for the ongoing controversy regarding human reproductive rights. (From the Wikpedia article Ectogenesis.)

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Recent Publications on Ectogenesis:
The moral imperative for ectogenesis. Autoimmune diseases present with varied and broad-ranging cutaneous...	20th September, 2007	Imperial College, London.	Camb Q Healthc Ethics. 2007 Summer;16(3):336-45.
Artificial reproduction technologies (RTs) - all the way to the artificial womb? In this paper, I argue that the development of an artificial womb is...	25th April, 2007	Center for Women's Health, Ben Gurion University, Beer-Sheva, Israel.	Med Health Care Philos. 2006;9(3):359-65. DOI Direct Link
Would artificial wombs produce more harm than good? OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective role of the ectogenesis zinc in the...	17th May, 2006		Natl Cathol Bioeth Q. 2005 Winter;5(4):657; author reply 658.
[Study on the protective effects of znSO4 on rat flaps with ischemia reperfusion injury] OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective role of the ectogenesis zinc in the...	1st April, 2006	Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, People's Hospital of Hebei	Zhonghua Zheng Xing Wai Ke Za Zhi. 2006 Jan;22(1):26-30.
Could artificial wombs end the abortion debate? OBJECTIVE: To observe the protective role of the ectogenesis zinc in the...	15th December, 2005	Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA, USA.	Natl Cathol Bioeth Q. 2005 Summer;5(2):283-301.
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