Reviews
In May 2021, researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science announced an even more astonishing result: after seven years of work, they had grown mouse embryos in an artificial womb until they had developed into fully formed fetuses. The team placed embryos one by one in rotating bottles filled with fluid, carefully regulating nutrients and temperature. Mice gestate for 19 days, far less than the 273 days of human pregnancy, but even allowing for that difference, the experiment was an
Reproductive Utopia: Is the future of artificial wombs and birth okay as it is? By Claire Horn, published by Saenggakieum. What does it mean to carry a baby in your body? Even among women, it is a physical state and intimate experience known only to those who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth. It can involve ongoing nausea, dizziness, trauma, permanent bodily damage, and even death. Modern science, built largely by male scientists, has improved many aspects, but pregnancy and childbirth
These days, it is clear that times are changing quickly, and even our everyday lives and social changes make us feel the considerable influence and power of science and technology. This book lets us see how scientists imagine new values and outcomes, and a better future, around a subject that may be considered sensitive. It is also useful to understand that people who put ethics, law, morality, and human dignity first may feel uncomfortable with this kind of undertaking. Reproductive Utopia:
In our country, the number of births has hit a record low every year because of the low birth rate. Birth rates and population aging are progressing faster here than anywhere else, and frightening warnings say that if things continue this way, population decline could lead to population disappearance and even the disappearance of the nation. We cannot solve this by forcing people who find pregnancy and childbirth difficult and frightening to go through them. Artificial womb research has
When did the problem of low birth rates begin? It has not been long since the slogan “Have just one child, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl,” yet now our society faces the broad problems of an era with too few children. I’m reviewing Claire Horn’s Reproductive Utopia, a book about what we may experience in the future as people’s ways of life and perceptions change, and one that unpacks more uncomfortable subjects than I expected, such as artificial wombs and pregnancy. How far has
After reading this book, I found myself with layered emotions and complex thoughts all mixed together. The possibilities of artificial womb technology and the social and ethical issues that come with it felt fascinating yet weighty. I was struck by how technological progress raises fundamental questions about human life and the value of life, beyond mere convenience. I felt the discussion of ethical dilemmas and social changes that could arise as artificial wombs become reality was especially
Is the field of artificial womb development really stalled because investment has been delayed? First, imagine the initial clinical trial using an artificial womb immediately after the birth of an extremely premature infant. It is unlikely to receive ethical approval. If researchers planned a trial involving newborns between 22 and 24 weeks, the person who had just gone through that experience would not be in a state to give free consent to participate. (p. 34) This book was written by an
Pregnancy and childbirth involve unspeakable pain for women. Women are still forced to interrupt their careers because of pregnancy and childbirth. When someone becomes pregnant despite not wanting to, debate continues over whether ending the pregnancy is moral or immoral. In the United States in particular, existing law related to abortion was ruled unconstitutional, making it a major issue in the U.S. presidential election. With advances in science and technology, it is now possible to grow
Reproductive Utopia. 'But now, with the scientific capability to create an artificial womb finally within reach, the question is no longer whether innovation is possible, but whether we are ready.' p. 21. I became interested in the book Reproductive Utopia and wondered how it might relate to the women Immortan Joe keeps to obtain babies and the women exploited to produce breast milk in Mad Max: Fury Road, which I recently watched on streaming before seeing Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, now playing
Claire Horn, a postdoctoral fellow at a health law research institute who studies medical ethics, wrote this book. Among bioethical questions, it focuses mainly on pregnancy, childbirth, and care for premature babies. Despite its specialized subject, the accessible translation makes it easy for general readers to follow. Throughout the book, I kept thinking, “Someone carried us in their body until we became a person” (p. 8). The book presents debates around “artificial wombs” and “survival of
Claire Horn: Reproductive Utopia
Before 'artificial womb' technology—also called ectogenesis or extracorporeal pregnancy—becomes a reality, this book comprehensively addresses the reproductive issues of our time that the technology will affect. In other words, as the realization of 'partial artificial womb' technology now being developed in several countries draws near and technology to implement the entire process of extracorporeal pregnancy progresses smoothly, the book examines the technology's trajectory, meaning, and ethical questions. It also considers the future, including possible misuse, and critically examines from various angles the complex reproductive issues surrounding gendered pregnancy and childbirth today. Furthermore, because the author wrote the book while pregnant, it discusses a baby's movements and the writer's anticipation, anxiety, emotions, and bodily changes, as well as the burdens society places on pregnant people, regulations, and recommendations. It raises fundamental questions about human life and personhood that technological discourse filters out, while also reconsidering the meaning of human 'pregnancy.' This makes the issues facing reproduction now and in the future feel more compelling. If artificial womb technology becomes a reality in the near future, as scientists predict, how will Korean society, which is experiencing a serious low birth rate, use it?
Korean title: 재생산 유토피아
Korean author: 클레어 혼
Korean publisher: 생각이음
ISBN-13: 9791198740700
Reviews
In May 2021, researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science announced an even more astonishing result: after seven years of work, they had grown mouse embryos in an artificial womb until they had developed into fully formed fetuses. The team placed embryos one by one in rotating bottles filled with fluid, carefully regulating nutrients and temperature. Mice gestate for 19 days, far less than the 273 days of human pregnancy, but even allowing for that difference, the experiment was an
Reproductive Utopia: Is the future of artificial wombs and birth okay as it is? By Claire Horn, published by Saenggakieum. What does it mean to carry a baby in your body? Even among women, it is a physical state and intimate experience known only to those who have experienced pregnancy and childbirth. It can involve ongoing nausea, dizziness, trauma, permanent bodily damage, and even death. Modern science, built largely by male scientists, has improved many aspects, but pregnancy and childbirth
These days, it is clear that times are changing quickly, and even our everyday lives and social changes make us feel the considerable influence and power of science and technology. This book lets us see how scientists imagine new values and outcomes, and a better future, around a subject that may be considered sensitive. It is also useful to understand that people who put ethics, law, morality, and human dignity first may feel uncomfortable with this kind of undertaking. Reproductive Utopia:
In our country, the number of births has hit a record low every year because of the low birth rate. Birth rates and population aging are progressing faster here than anywhere else, and frightening warnings say that if things continue this way, population decline could lead to population disappearance and even the disappearance of the nation. We cannot solve this by forcing people who find pregnancy and childbirth difficult and frightening to go through them. Artificial womb research has
When did the problem of low birth rates begin? It has not been long since the slogan “Have just one child, regardless of whether it’s a boy or a girl,” yet now our society faces the broad problems of an era with too few children. I’m reviewing Claire Horn’s Reproductive Utopia, a book about what we may experience in the future as people’s ways of life and perceptions change, and one that unpacks more uncomfortable subjects than I expected, such as artificial wombs and pregnancy. How far has
After reading this book, I found myself with layered emotions and complex thoughts all mixed together. The possibilities of artificial womb technology and the social and ethical issues that come with it felt fascinating yet weighty. I was struck by how technological progress raises fundamental questions about human life and the value of life, beyond mere convenience. I felt the discussion of ethical dilemmas and social changes that could arise as artificial wombs become reality was especially
Is the field of artificial womb development really stalled because investment has been delayed? First, imagine the initial clinical trial using an artificial womb immediately after the birth of an extremely premature infant. It is unlikely to receive ethical approval. If researchers planned a trial involving newborns between 22 and 24 weeks, the person who had just gone through that experience would not be in a state to give free consent to participate. (p. 34) This book was written by an
Pregnancy and childbirth involve unspeakable pain for women. Women are still forced to interrupt their careers because of pregnancy and childbirth. When someone becomes pregnant despite not wanting to, debate continues over whether ending the pregnancy is moral or immoral. In the United States in particular, existing law related to abortion was ruled unconstitutional, making it a major issue in the U.S. presidential election. With advances in science and technology, it is now possible to grow
Reproductive Utopia. 'But now, with the scientific capability to create an artificial womb finally within reach, the question is no longer whether innovation is possible, but whether we are ready.' p. 21. I became interested in the book Reproductive Utopia and wondered how it might relate to the women Immortan Joe keeps to obtain babies and the women exploited to produce breast milk in Mad Max: Fury Road, which I recently watched on streaming before seeing Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, now playing
Claire Horn, a postdoctoral fellow at a health law research institute who studies medical ethics, wrote this book. Among bioethical questions, it focuses mainly on pregnancy, childbirth, and care for premature babies. Despite its specialized subject, the accessible translation makes it easy for general readers to follow. Throughout the book, I kept thinking, “Someone carried us in their body until we became a person” (p. 8). The book presents debates around “artificial wombs” and “survival of
