This article will consider some of the ethical issues concerning ectogenesis technology, including possible misuse, social harms and safety risks. The article discusses three common objections to ectogenesis, namely that artificial gestation transgresses nature, risks promoting cloning and genetic engineering of offspring, and would lead to the commodification of children. Counterbalancing these concerns are an appeal to women's rights, reproductive autonomy, and the rights of the infertile to access appropriate assisted reproductive technologies. The article concludes that the unique benefits of promoting the development of ectogenesis technology to prospective parents and children, outweigh any potential harms.
Keywords: artificial womb; bioethics; ectogenesis.
© 2019 The Author(s). Published by Portland Press Limited on behalf of the Biochemical Society and the Royal Society of Biology.