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Violet Martin-Reeves

 

Violet Martin-Reeves

University of Sheffield Medical School
United Kingdom

Abstract Title: How Historical Ethical Debates around Extracorporeal Reproductive Technologies Inform Contemporary Discussions on Artificial Womb Development

Biography:

Violet completed her Biological and Medical Sciences (BSc(Hons)) at University of Liverpool in 2018. She is now in her 2nd year of Graduate Entry Medicine (MBChB) at the University of Sheffield.

Research Interest:

Artificial womb technology has undergone decades of research and animal trials aiming to support fetal gestation outside the human body. While initially positioned as a medical tool to support extremely premature babies, the technology has engendered debate about whether its future clinical applications could provide full gestational support in a process known as ectogenesis. Ectogenesis has a rich history of social and ethical commentary and technological progress that has taken us from early concept to experimental medical device. This poster explores the debates around medical interventions associated with supporting premature babies outside the body, including neonatal incubators, extracorporeal care of the fetus, artificial placentas and in vitro fertilisation. Medical literature, clinical journals and public commentary were examined for both public and professional perception of these technological advances, as well as looking at the current status of artificial womb development and its future technological and ethical obstacles. Preliminary analysis suggests that debates surrounding these technologies on subjects such as viability thresholds, abortion rights, medical authority and intervention, echo contemporary debates in gynaecology and women’s health. By framing artificial womb technology within the historical context of the development of extracorporeal fetal support and comparing the corresponding ethical debates surrounding them, this poster provides contextualisation to inform current discussions in women’s reproductive health and neonatology with respect to artificial womb development.