Surrogacy is that process where the intending parents and the surrogate mother mutually agree on the process, where the mom carries and nurtures the baby for the parents in full terms. Although it is the most widely practiced methodology, but it shares its advantages and disadvantages. A couple that is unable to have a biological child can take help from a substitute mom and have children bearing their genetics. If you are looking to bear a child through surrogacy, you must be aware of the demerits as well. There are mainly two kinds of surrogacy, namely, the straight surrogacy and the host surrogacy. In the former, the surrogate mom donates her egg to develop and bear the child for someone else. However, in the latter, the mom is artificially inseminated and then she becomes the carrier of the embryo.

The process of surrogacy is complicated

Surrogacy might seem easier, but it is complicated for both the surrogate mom and the intending couple. If you wish to have a child through surrogacy, it is important to learn how complicated the process is. As an intending couple, you need to find a reliable agency to help locate a surrogate mom willing to carry the baby for you. Then, there are a lot many legal formalities involved. A contract needs to be signed between you and the mom in the presence of an attorney. Apart from this, in some of the states, the surrogacy law is not that enforceable. Thus, the surrogate mom can even refuse to hand over the infant.

Huge expenses are involved

When you talk about surrogacy, huge expenses are involved. The charges may range from $60000-$100000. Some of the expenses that need to be borne include the attorney fees, mom’s compensation payment, medication and medical bills. To tackle the expenses, you may start saving in advance. Loans can also be taken from the baking institutions.

Too much anxiety is involved

All throughout the process of pregnancy or surrogacy, the intending couple feel anxious about the entire thing. Even surrogate mom is anxious all the while. Then, it is not good to be a surrogate mom since the process is tiring and complex. The very thought of separating from the infant can be devastating. This can increase the stress level during pregnancy. A mother has to undergo huge psychological and emotional ups and downs.

Family pressure

For the mom who is ready to bear a child for some other couple, it may get difficult to convince the family members for the same. Your family, including spouse and others, may fail to understand your emotions and your urge to help others in dilemma. There can be a problem between you and the spouse.

It is time consuming

Surrogacy is extremely tedious where the mother has to devote nine valuable months of her lifetime. She puts in her full energy, effort and hands over her body to bring forth the child. A lot of legal and medical procedure is involved in it. This can again consume a lot of time.

If you wish to become a surrogate mother, you should re-consider your option. Only if you feel that you are strong enough to part with the child, move ahead.

Are you willing to choose external gestation if you get a chance? The legal, moral, social and ethical consequences of artificial wombs and external gestation are profound. Women just like men can have babies without even carrying the baby for nine months. Ectogenesis is the revolutionary technology whereby the human fetus grows and gestates outside the womb of the mother and in an external setting. Indeed it is qualitatively different from other reproductive technologies and from birth control. The rights and responsibilities of mothers are bound to change with artificial uterus and ectogenesis. The advent of artificial uterus is the aim of assisted reproductive technologies. They are baby machines that are fabulous substitute to mother’s womb helping the premature babies to grow and survive.

Current findings in artificial wombs

When we talk about artificial uterus, there are two most commonly cited endeavors focusing on unveiling the ways of saving premature babies, and secondly, helping the women who cannot conceive. Women who have no uterus of their own or carry a damaged uterus, they can get immense help. Researchers want to ensure proper functioning of womb outside a woman’s body. Indeed medical advancement has narrowed down the gap between fetus’ viability outside the mother’s womb and in vitro conception. When this gap is filled, no navel-less child will be born from the women.

Artificial womb: great alternative to surrogacy

The very technology of artificial uterus can assist the infertile couples to have their own child and allow a premature baby to survive. It is indeed a great substitute to surrogacy. Ectogenesis is the technique which is effective, safe and there is no need to administer alcohol and drugs. Gay couples can enjoy fantastic option where they can have their child. Then, the children born of artificial wombs are better adjusted and are also free of moms who seem to be overly invested in the kids.

The societal consequence of artificial womb

The ethical, moral and societal consequences of artificial womb are huge. The main question arising here is that what if both men and women simply contribute to the gametes for reproduction. If babies are born outside the mother’s womb or her body then what about the relationship between the mom and the baby. The very connection between a mom and baby is the source of power that mothers have in the society or rather women have in a broader context.

Helping couples to deal with infertility

Ectogenesis is fairly new innovation which is helping couples to deal with infertility issue and to have their own child. The egg being harvested from the mom is generally fertilized in the lab and placed into the artificial womb outside the mother’s body. After a period of few weeks, the fetus or embryo starts to develop outside the womb. Indeed, the artificial womb is the replacement organ to help male and female couple to develop a fetus.

The artificial womb may be connected to the body of the mother and still she can supply the oxygen and the needed nutrients to the fetus. There is also no risk of any immune reaction towards the fetus or embryo.

For any human to develop outside the body of a human being, a synthetic amniotic environment and synthetic uterus will be required. Embryo implantation and the very advent of artificial wombs is the attempt to improve IVF efficiency. It is a great way to help women who cannot conceive. A synthetic uterus can be used to develop fetus outside the body. It uses a technique that we may call as ‘co-culture’ in which the uterine tissue and embryo grows together. Dr. Liu grew a human embryo successfully for nearly 10 days outside the body of the human being. According to a leading developmental psychologist, the fetal environment is much more than just hormones and to formulate a holistic womb, scholars and researchers proposed that additional technologies may be required to circumvent engineering challenges being faced while creating a successful artificial womb.

The additional technologies needed to overcome the challenges

Some of the additional technologies needed to meet up the engineering challenges include reserves of the would-be-mother hormones and blood, breathable liquid, simulated movements and sounds. When all such technologies are integrated, it will permit a human embryo to get successfully implanted in the uterus. After this, the human embryo may be placed inside the artificial womb to allow the fetus to develop in full terms.

An artificial womb growing a baby sheep  

The ziplock bag strewn with the tubes of fluid and blood allowed 8 fetal lambs to grow. They almost developed as if inside the mother’s womb. Within the 4 weeks, the lungs and the brain of the fetus grew. They started sprouting wool and opened their eyes. They even wriggled and learnt how to swallow. As per the recent study, the device which helped the fetal lambs to grow may even assist premature human babies to grow normally. It is amazing to imagine a world where artificial wombs may help the babies to grow. This also relieves the mother of delivery complication. It is wonderful to imagine a world without pregnancy complication. But, one must not move ahead of data as it is science fiction to think that you may take human embryo through the early developmental process and then put that inside the machine without even considering mother as the critical element. The very point of developing an artificial womb is to allow premature babies to develop in a natural surrounding mimicking a mother’s womb. The uterus like environment allows the fetus to grow in a natural manner.

The appearance of the artificial womb

The artificial womb, appearing to be a biobag has the key elements like the clear plastic bag enclosing the fetus and protecting it from the external environment. The electrolyte solution is just similar to amniotic fluid present in the uterus. It is the way for the fetus to circulate oxygen and blood and also exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen. Prematurity is the main cause of death for the newborns born prematurely.

An artificial womb will work only when the developing fetus is offered extensive support and care. If this is not done, the babies taking birth out of artificial womb will have a host of medical conditions.

A controversial statement made by a well-known Harvard Professor has started a lot discussion around the world. This professor who specializes in genetics stated that a very adventurous woman may someday in future act as a surrogate mother to a clone of a Neanderthal baby.

The Theory

This statement was made by George Church in an interview with a magazine called Der Spiegel. He also added that it would be possible to clone a Neanderthal baby in our lifetime, he said creating a Neanderthal could be significantly beneficial to the society. He said the first step of do it is to make a sequence of the genome of the Neanderthal. This according to Church has already been done.

In the following step Church opines that the genome should be chopped into about 10000 chunks and then those should be assembled in the stem cells of humans which would eventually lead to the formation of a Neanderthal clone

The first sequence of Neanderthal genome was completed by the scientists in the year 2010.  In this study they found evidence indicating that modern human ancestors at least occasionally successfully interbedded with the Neanderthals. Another research conducted more recently suggests that Neanderthal DNA makes up about 1%- 4 % of the genomes in the modern Eurasian people

The main benefits of creating a Neanderthal clone is that it would increase the genetic diversity in the world. According to Church the risks of perishing are greater when there is lack of genetic diversity. Therefore the recreation of the Neanderthals is just about avoiding risk. .

Church’s book mainly focuses on the reinvention of the nature and human beings with the help of synthetic biology.  According to him when society is comfortable with the idea of cloning and appreciates true human diversity then the entire Neanderthal creature can be cloned by a surrogate mother chimpanzee or even by a very adventurous human female.

He stresses that he is not saying it should happen anytime soon. All he is saying is that people should not be averse to the idea right now so that this can happen in the future.

Critics:

There are many scientists around the world who think that this not scientifically possible, moreover they also state that such a situation is not ideal ethically as well. Critics point out that it is not ethical to put people in a situation where there is a possibility of getting mocked and also to be feared by others. They also state that there is a high chance that the Neanderthal babies would lack the immunity to the infectious diseases required to survive in the contemporary world.  They existed around 30000 years ago and there is not much material available to know how strong their immune systems were.

Other critics also point out that whenever clones have been made it has always had significant side effects on the surrogate mothers and also costs a lot of health hazards to the clones. So any surrogate mother of the Neanderthal baby will also have to go through a lot, which is asking a lot from a person.