Artificial Wombs: Could They Deliver an Answer to the Problem of Frozen Embryos?

Catholic thinkers generally agree that artificial womb technology (AWT) would be permissible in cases of partial ectogenesis to assist severely premature infants, but there is substantially more debate concerning whether AWT could be used to save frozen embryos, which are the result of in vitro fert...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Gross, Christopher (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: 2024
In: Christian bioethics
Year: 2024, Volume: 30, Issue: 2, Pages: 96-105
IxTheo Classification:CF Christianity and Science
NBE Anthropology
NCH Medical ethics
NCJ Ethics of science
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:Catholic thinkers generally agree that artificial womb technology (AWT) would be permissible in cases of partial ectogenesis to assist severely premature infants, but there is substantially more debate concerning whether AWT could be used to save frozen embryos, which are the result of in vitro fertilization (IVF). In many cases, these embryos have been abandoned and left in a permanently cryogenic state, which is an affront to their human dignity. While AWT would allow people to adopt these embryos and give them an opportunity to develop, it gives rise to serious concerns over the possibility of scandal and the potential for cooperation in evil. Therefore, the author argues that even though AWT may one day represent a solution to this tragedy, it is currently not a morally licit answer, given the widespread use and approval of IVF in our culture.
ISSN:1744-4195
Contains:Enthalten in: Christian bioethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1093/cb/cbae004