As a result, if abortion jurisprudence continues to use fetal viability as its central criteria for determining whether abortion should be allowed, abortion in the age of ectogenesis risks becoming less morally and socially acceptable than it is today. .
There is a real risk that future legislation, especially in conservative communities, states and countries, will ban abortion completely once ectogenesis becomes available. Although ectogenesis would make it possible to avoid pregnancy without ending the life of the fetus, such a result is not necessarily positive from a feminist point of view. The reality is that some women who choose abortion do so not only to terminate the pregnancy —preserving bodily autonomy— but also to avoid becoming a biological mother. Ectogenesis would still make her a biological mother against her will, and using it as an alternative to traditional abortion could therefore violate her reproductive autonomy.
Another possible scenario is one in which a woman wants to have an abortion, but her partner wants her not to. In the absence of the bodily autonomy argument, the viability of the fetus and the supposed right to develop, combined with the wishes of the couple, could result in a situation that pressures women to transfer the fetus to an artificial uterus.
As ectogenesis develops In addition, activists and legislators will need to address the question: At what point is it justifiable for a woman to choose traditional abortion when there is another option that guarantees both termination of the pregnancy and the possibility of continuing the life of the fetus? At what point should women’s wishes not to become biological mothers outweigh the presumed right to a fetus’ existence?
In exploring this question, it is useful to consider why some women might resist becoming biological mothers, even if they did not have to shoulder the burden of raising a child who could be adopted after being transferred and fully developed in an artificial womb. Some doubts would probably be caused by social attitudes and pressures related to biological paternity. Even if a legal system has absolved a birth mother of legal obligations to her birth child, she may still feel a sense of obligation to the child, or guilt toward herself, for not enshrining the often idealized and self-sacrificing qualities of self-sacrifice. associated with motherhood. Living with these emotions could cause psychological damage to the birth mother and could also risk encountering related social stigma.
Of course, there still remains the question of whether the desire to avoid possible social stigma or psychological distress is enough to outweigh the presumed right of the fetus to life. We believe this question is highly debatable, depending both on the extent of the social stigma and the stage of development of the fetus. Still, if societal pressures and stigma are enough for a woman using ectogenesis to suffer, that woman’s wish not to become a mother deserves to be respected, especially in the early stages of fetal development.
Legislation around ectogenesis will also need to take bodily autonomy into account by ensuring that women have the right to decide which surgeries they allow to be performed on their bodies. Although it’s unclear what form the procedure of transferring a fetus into an artificial womb will take, it will almost certainly be invasive, likely similar to a C-section, at least for later-stage pregnancies. Women should have the right to refuse ectogenetic surgery on grounds of bodily autonomy; otherwise, as the Canadian philosopher Christine Overall has pointed outa forced transfer procedure would be akin to the deliberate theft of human organs, which is deeply unethical.
Ectogenesis complicates the ethics of abortion, and forcing women to undergo ectogenetic surgery affects both their reproductive autonomy and bodily freedom. Allowing early abortion in a world where ectogenesis exists could be a good compromise that reduces complications and guarantees women’s rights. However, for women’s reproductive rights to be guaranteed, abortion must remain an available option, even after ectogenesis takes place.
Future legislation will need to ensure that ectogenesis is a choice and not a new form of coercion. The right to abortion will need to refocus the law around the value of reproductive autonomy and the right not to become a biological father against her will, as opposed to fetal viability. As this legal debate draws the attention of politicians, legislators, community leaders, and the general public, it will become more apparent than ever how much individuals and societies respect women’s right to choose.