I was recently perusing through Facebook and I came across this caption from a friend’s feed that floored me.
Now, I am not going to lie. Looking at that, my first initial response was…are we entering the Matrix? I mean seriously, that is what I was seeing in my mind. Those fields of machines growing children with holes and tubes coming out of them.
Then my mind went to…why? Why would anyone think this is a good idea? With the advancement of IVF, why would we need this? If you don’t want to have a baby, but want a baby, there’s always surrogacy or adoption. There are so many kids in the system that want a family. Let’s work on fixing the adoption process so it can be done smoother and easier, yet still safe.
Then came the how? How could that even work thinking of the complexity of pregnancy? And then what would that do to the child? Being grown within a robot?
Being pregnant three times myself, I have a hard time understanding how the child could grow within a robot and still have that connection with the mother. Like I had discussed in the previous post, are we replacing connections with robots. And if a baby would grow within a robot, rather than a woman, would that connection sever and the child be even further connected to human interaction?
Now I have since found out that this was a false story and has not actually happened. But with technology advancements, this is no longer a far fetched way out there thought. Scientists have already been working to build artificial wombs, but this is built for premature babies and even that has serious concerns in my opinion.
It is said that this false womb would be a bag full of amniotic fluid, which is made in the lab and contains key nutrients and growth factors. The umbilical cord is attached to an “external oxygenator” that partly stands in for the placenta, facilitating an exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Within the device, a baby would be insulated from changes in temperature, pressure and light, as well as from exposure to germs.
Does this sound safe or natural for a baby? Amniotic fluid made in a lab? The umbilical cord attached to an external oxygenator. All artificial and expecting this to be good for a baby. Apparently since this has been successful in lambs, they want to move to human trials soon.
Testing. On human babies.
Ethically and morally, does that sound right?
They are also working on artificial placentas, which apparently has been tested on lambs as well, but they aren’t ready to do human trials .
But this is just the beginning because as we know with scientists (and I am not knocking them, just being realistic), the next step would be to just continue seeing how far you could go.
In the words of Ian Malcom from Jurassic Park, “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”
Babies, the children of our future, should not be guinea pigs. They should not be tested for something like this. It shouldn’t even be considered!
Dr Harvey Kilman from Yale University had this to say about the possibility of growing a child within a robot.
I think it’s interesting to think about the challenges because it helps us actually reflect about what is the beauty and miracle of a normal pregnancy – Dr. Harvey Kilman
Pregnancy is beautiful and it is a miracle. It is us joining with our Creator to bring forth life.
Psalm 139:13-14: “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are your works!”
It doesn’t always feel that way, coming from a mother’s perspective, but when you step back and realize that women have the capability to grow another person within them. The beauty of feeling them moving within you. It’s incredible.
Feeling the kicks, seeing your child at the ultrasound, hearing the heartbeat.
Removing the natural for unnatural and the repercussions of it WOULD not could be so harmful to the child you are wanting to create. We are further alienating ourselves from human connection and relying on artificial things that will never satisfy.
Let’s look at Psalm 139 again.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
You can’t play God. It’s going to go wrong in about 10 million different ways. There’s no comparison to His love and His ability as a Creator.
If you want to hear more on this study, you can read it here: https://www.livescience.com/health/fertility-pregnancy-birth/pregnancy-robot-from-china-is-fake-but-is-the-technology-behind-it-possible
angelaschmeling 