Artificial wombs could someday be a reality – here's how they may change our notions of parenthood

By Stephen Wilkinson, Professor of Bioethics, Lancaster University
Nicola J. Williams, Wellcome Lecturer in The Ethics of Human Reproduction, Lancaster University
Sara Fovargue, Professor of Law, University of Sheffield

Our reproductive lives are considerably different from those of our ancestors, thanks in part to health innovations that have taken place over the past few decades. Practices such as IVF, donor eggs and sperm, womb transplants, surrogacy and egg freezing, mean that for many, there’s now more choice than ever before over whether, when and how to reproduce.

Yet, despite these advances, one aspect of reproduction has remained constant: the need to gestate (grow) foetuses in the womb. But what would happen to our notions of parenthood if technology made it possible to grow a foetus outside…

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