title: The role of the artificial uterus in embryo adoption and neonatal intensive care.
abstract: Embryo adoption is a way of having children for couples who wish to share a pregnancy experience but have neither eggs nor sperm to realise their dream. This type of situation could occur where the wife has had a hysterectomy, while her husband has an extremely low sperm count. The donors of embryos are usually couples who have completed their families. The artificial womb will duplicate the technology of a natural womb so as to enable the child to gestate and develop physically to maturity. This ability will enable the artificial womb to be used to rescue severely premature babies who would otherwise have died and allow them to develop normally to term. Legislation will be required to regulate situations where an entire pregnancy is sustained in an artificial uterus. Clarity as to parenthood in particular will need to be regulated.
authors.affiliation: School of Law, University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Lupton
mesh_terms: D000300:Adoption / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D001187:Artificial Organs / Q000639:trends*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015931:Intensive Care, Neonatal / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D010290:Parents; D011247:Pregnancy; D014599:Uterus