TRANSCRIPT
A new, lifelike video simulating a baby factory is bringing into the spotlight the shocking possibility of this biotechnology.
In tonight’s In-Depth Report, Church Militant’s Kristine Christlieb updates us on these so-called medical advances.
If you’re the parent of an infant born prematurely, you’re grateful for the technological advances that make it possible for your child to develop outside the womb.
But biotechnologists are now promoting the advantages of dispensing entirely with mothers’ wombs.
Narrator, EctoLife promotional video: “Say goodbye to the pain of childbirth and birth-related muscle contraction. … The delivery process is smooth, convenient and can be done with just a push of a button.”
Film producer and biotechnologist Hashem Al-Ghaili says that he created the video featuring the EctoLife artificial womb to launch a discussion.
British tabloid Daily Mail labeled the idea as “creepy.” Another web-based publication’s headline called the baby factory a “baby farm,” bringing to mind the possibility of harvesting in all its various forms.
Naturally, the video puts front and center the advantages of artificial wombs.
Narrator, EctoLife promotional video: “With EctoLife, miscarriage and low sperm count are a thing of the past.”
And don’t worry about bonding. The EctoLife artificial womb takes care of that too.
Narrator, EctoLife promotional video: “You can also directly sing to your baby, and make them familiar with your voice before birth.”
The eight-minute video doesn’t try to hide the potential goal of producing superior humans.
Narrator, EctoLife promotional video: “And if you want your baby to stand out and have a brighter future, our elite package offers you the opportunity to genetically engineer the embryo before implanting it into the artificial womb.”
Since the artificial womb manages human development from conception to birth, sex between a man and a woman is irrelevant and unnecessary.
In fact, that is seen as yet another advantage of the artificial womb.
The idea of an artificial womb is not new. A video from 2017 floats a similar concept. So it’s clear this issue is not going away.
Separating the advantages of biotechnology from its horrors is what faithful Catholics are called to do. And we can’t do it without God’s wisdom.
Earlier this year, Chinese scientists claimed to have created an artificial womb and an artificial intelligence robot nanny.