Now Reading
An “Artificial Womb Facility” That Gives Parents the Ability to Pick Their Child’s Traits Is in the Works

An “Artificial Womb Facility” That Gives Parents the Ability to Pick Their Child’s Traits Is in the Works

Well, people are playing God again.

The world’s first “artificial womb facility” is in the works, and it plans to give clients the ability to choose their baby’s characteristics from a menu.

EctoLife was conceptualized by Hashem Al-Ghaili, a Berlin-based biotechnologist, and he believes his plan could be beneficial for couples struggling with conception for any reason.

EctoLife would work by taking embryos and placing them ingrowth pods,” or artificial wombs, which would be designed to replicate the exact conditions of a mothers uterus. EctoLife would also offer an “Elite Package,” which would give parents the option to predetermine the characteristics of their child by genetically engineering the embryo before it is placed in the artificial womb. This could include eye and hair color, height and even intelligence.

Additionally, the pods would be equipped with a screen that displays realtime data on the developmental progress of the baby, which can also be viewed via a phone app. The facility would contain 75 high-tech labs, each one able to accommodate up to 400 pods. That would result in approximately 30,000 babies a year. 

Of course, there’s a major ethical dilemma here. For starters, current research on human embryos is not allowed to go beyond 14 days, after which they must be destroyed due to ethical concerns. If laws were to relax and EctoLife could find a way to move forward, there’s still the “playing God” factor. If you ask us, choosing not only what your child would look like but also who that child might grow up to be is um, something better left in the hands of a higher power. 

It is clear that EctoLife has the potential to revolutionize the way people think about childbirth in the future, and a version of it could possibly be a viable option for couples who have difficulty conceiving. But the ethical and legal implications of the rest of the plan really need to be addressed.

View Comments (308)

Leave a Reply

© 2023 RELEVANT Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Scroll To Top

You’re reading our ad-supported experience

For our premium ad-free experience, including exclusive podcasts, issues and more, subscribe to

Plans start as low as $2.50/mo