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That is quite interesting to hear from a woman. Artificial wombs are coming. I was under the impression that women considered pregnancy as a burden which carr

That is quite interesting to hear from a woman. Artificial wombs are coming. I was under the impression that women considered pregnancy as a burden which carries risks, is painful, causes all sorts of negative hormonal / physiological effects, etc. I think that artificial wombs will initially be challenged by feminist and conservative groups, but will end up being accepted, first with wealthy Western women, but eventually by everyone else. I have never considered that women might choose to carry a child, if they weren't required due to technological and scientific advances.

cortesoft 9y ago
> I was under the impression that women considered pregnancy as a burden which carries risks, is painful, causes all sorts of negative hormonal / physiological effects, etc. It does that, and is also something many women desire. Some thigns are both really hard and painful, and also very rewarding. I really doubt you are going to get any challenges from feminists, or at least not very many. Feminism is all about empowering women to be able to do what they want, which includes having a baby using an artificial womb. Conservative groups might be against it, but it will depend on which group. Not all conservative groups are against IVF, which is similar in the sense that it allows a woman who would otherwise not be able to have a child have a child.
- adventured 9y ago
  > Feminism is all about empowering women to be able to do what they want, which includes having a baby using an artificial womb. The types of feminists that you'll see negative responses from, are those that use feminism as a platform for controlling others. For example, the kinds of feminists (some people would call them fake feminists) that get upset when a woman chooses to shave her armpits, or likes to wear lipstick or heels, etc. etc. Those types always look for opportunities - no matter how absurd - to proclaim something is the latest attempt to enslave women to their biology, and so on and so forth.
  - DoreenMichele 9y ago
    I am a former homemaker and full-time mom. Most self proclaimed feminists I have interacted with have been virulently hostile, disrespectful and contemptuous of me. They seem to not see full-time motherhood as a legitimate choice at all. It sometimes feels to me like they wish a man would take care of them, but they don't know how to make that work, so hating on me is de rigueur. It is one of the reasons I spend so much time on Hacker News. Most men are less aggravating for me to deal with. It is also part of why I do not self identify as a feminist.
    - rdtsc 9y ago
      > I am a former homemaker and full-time mom. My wife who is also a homemaker and stay-at home mom. She has heard remarks from family, acquaintances and even random parents playing with kids at the park how she was throwing her university degree down the drain and how somehow she doesn't "need to stay home" and can do whatever she wants. They don't seem to understand that what she wants to do currently is to raise kids.
      - DoreenMichele 9y ago
        There is some statistic showing that every dollar invested in our small children saves multiple dollars down the line for things like the prison system. Any feminism that cannot honor, respect and support the importance of full time parenting is an ideology I want no part of. To my mind, the only good feminism is one that insists that full time parenting should be an equally legitimate choice for either parent, not just the mother.
        orsenthil 9y ago
        "To my mind, the only good feminism is one that insists that full-time parenting should be an equally legitimate choice for either parent, not just the mother." I love this quote.
      - ggg9990 9y ago
        A university degree costs much more to provide than one pays for it, so she is throwing a commons resource down the drain. I don't think it's implementable, but I'd support a fine for dropping out of the workforce that makes stay-at-home moms and dads with advanced education have to pay back the full cost of their education.
djroomba 9y ago
Are you talking about artificial wombs that are independent of humans? I can see feminists, evangelicals, and quite a alot of people opposing humans grown in labs.
toasterlovin 9y ago
You might be surprised to learn that there is a whole segment of the population who view bringing new lives into the world as a sacred undertaking. Some women of this persuasion consider growing a new person inside of themselves to be the highest calling. Also, pregnancy and childbirth can be incredibly fulfilling experiences, for both parents. After all, modern life doesn’t have many rights of passage on the same level.
khedoros1 9y ago
Some women hate it. Some feel a sense of wonder (my mother was like that, when carrying my younger brother). Some face it with resignation (that was more like my wife). My wife's biggest issues involved her blood pressure and fear about actually giving birth. One friend I have no doubt would still have carried her child naturally, even given another option. Another friend, I'm not sure about. Carrying a child is often a very emotional experience, and it makes sense that reactions to those emotions would vary pretty wildly between different people.
astura 9y ago
Why exactly do you believe feminism would be against artificial wombs? (which, btw, is not even what we are talking about - these are transplanted natural wombs not artificial). Feminism is about empowering women to make their own reproductive choices. Giving them MORE choices is a positive not a negative for feminism.
nostromo123 9y ago
I'm a woman, and I absolutely agree with the OP. There is nothing in the world like the mother-child bond! Sure it's risky and is painful and it makes me scared sometimes, but the thought of some artificial womb producing my baby gives me the shudders. Would it even be "my" baby, if I didn't carry it? Similarly, I don't think I could have the same kind of love for an adopted child as for my biological. I'm sure you can love it just as much, but differently.

cortesoft 9y ago

> I was under the impression that women considered pregnancy as a burden which carries risks, is painful, causes all sorts of negative hormonal / physiological effects, etc. It does that, and is also something many women desire. Some thigns are both really hard and painful, and also very rewarding. I really doubt you are going to get any challenges from feminists, or at least not very many. Feminism is all about empowering women to be able to do what they want, which includes having a baby using an artificial womb. Conservative groups might be against it, but it will depend on which group. Not all conservative groups are against IVF, which is similar in the sense that it allows a woman who would otherwise not be able to have a child have a child.

adventured 9y ago
> Feminism is all about empowering women to be able to do what they want, which includes having a baby using an artificial womb. The types of feminists that you'll see negative responses from, are those that use feminism as a platform for controlling others. For example, the kinds of feminists (some people would call them fake feminists) that get upset when a woman chooses to shave her armpits, or likes to wear lipstick or heels, etc. etc. Those types always look for opportunities - no matter how absurd - to proclaim something is the latest attempt to enslave women to their biology, and so on and so forth.
- DoreenMichele 9y ago
  I am a former homemaker and full-time mom. Most self proclaimed feminists I have interacted with have been virulently hostile, disrespectful and contemptuous of me. They seem to not see full-time motherhood as a legitimate choice at all. It sometimes feels to me like they wish a man would take care of them, but they don't know how to make that work, so hating on me is de rigueur. It is one of the reasons I spend so much time on Hacker News. Most men are less aggravating for me to deal with. It is also part of why I do not self identify as a feminist.
  - rdtsc 9y ago
    > I am a former homemaker and full-time mom. My wife who is also a homemaker and stay-at home mom. She has heard remarks from family, acquaintances and even random parents playing with kids at the park how she was throwing her university degree down the drain and how somehow she doesn't "need to stay home" and can do whatever she wants. They don't seem to understand that what she wants to do currently is to raise kids.
    - DoreenMichele 9y ago
      There is some statistic showing that every dollar invested in our small children saves multiple dollars down the line for things like the prison system. Any feminism that cannot honor, respect and support the importance of full time parenting is an ideology I want no part of. To my mind, the only good feminism is one that insists that full time parenting should be an equally legitimate choice for either parent, not just the mother.
      - orsenthil 9y ago
        "To my mind, the only good feminism is one that insists that full-time parenting should be an equally legitimate choice for either parent, not just the mother." I love this quote.
    - ggg9990 9y ago
      A university degree costs much more to provide than one pays for it, so she is throwing a commons resource down the drain. I don't think it's implementable, but I'd support a fine for dropping out of the workforce that makes stay-at-home moms and dads with advanced education have to pay back the full cost of their education.

djroomba 9y ago

Are you talking about artificial wombs that are independent of humans? I can see feminists, evangelicals, and quite a alot of people opposing humans grown in labs.

toasterlovin 9y ago

You might be surprised to learn that there is a whole segment of the population who view bringing new lives into the world as a sacred undertaking. Some women of this persuasion consider growing a new person inside of themselves to be the highest calling. Also, pregnancy and childbirth can be incredibly fulfilling experiences, for both parents. After all, modern life doesn’t have many rights of passage on the same level.

khedoros1 9y ago

Some women hate it. Some feel a sense of wonder (my mother was like that, when carrying my younger brother). Some face it with resignation (that was more like my wife). My wife's biggest issues involved her blood pressure and fear about actually giving birth. One friend I have no doubt would still have carried her child naturally, even given another option. Another friend, I'm not sure about. Carrying a child is often a very emotional experience, and it makes sense that reactions to those emotions would vary pretty wildly between different people.

astura 9y ago

Why exactly do you believe feminism would be against artificial wombs? (which, btw, is not even what we are talking about - these are transplanted natural wombs not artificial). Feminism is about empowering women to make their own reproductive choices. Giving them MORE choices is a positive not a negative for feminism.

nostromo123 9y ago

I'm a woman, and I absolutely agree with the OP. There is nothing in the world like the mother-child bond! Sure it's risky and is painful and it makes me scared sometimes, but the thought of some artificial womb producing my baby gives me the shudders. Would it even be "my" baby, if I didn't carry it? Similarly, I don't think I could have the same kind of love for an adopted child as for my biological. I'm sure you can love it just as much, but differently.