Nuclear boat (I): when "male mothers" come into reality, can the biotechnology revolution liberate women?

For a while , The polar body of the brain surrounds “ Women's technology ” Discussed many topics , Combine some feedback , And the phenomenon of discussing gender issues on the Internet , We found several realities ：

1. Can't reach “ Consensus ”.

There are many schools of feminism , Not only do men and women have different ideas , The perspectives and opinions within the female group are also very different , Female executives and assembly line workers have different feelings about women's status , White women and black women suffer from different sexism , Focus on 、 The starting point is different , No one can persuade anyone , Finally, it becomes a meaningless argument .

2. Can't explain “ Emerging issues ”.

The important thoughts of women's philosophy of technology were laid in the last century , With artificial intelligence 、 big data 、 The rise of the fourth industrial revolution represented by the Internet of things , Let many technologies such as brain computer interface 、 Asexual reproduction 、 Gene editing has fallen from fantasy to reality , These new technologies 、 New problems brought about by the new development of Technology , It can no longer be explained by traditional theories . for instance , This year Apple iOS The system has added “ Pregnant man ”emoji emoticon ,“ Male mother ” This biotechnology is becoming a reality , What is the gospel that liberates women from the pain of childbirth , Or does it weaken the position of women in gender relations ？ There seems to be no ready-made answer to the existing philosophy of technology and feminist theory .

3. Unable to respond “ China problem ”.

There is one on the Internet “ Schrodinger's equality ”, Some problems such as age discrimination in the workplace 、 Foreign countries have formed more complete systems to prevent sexual harassment , And some issues, such as the right to abortion 、“ Guanfu surname ” etc. , The situation of Chinese women is more progressive at least in the legal level . therefore , If you ignore different cultures “ female parent ” The difference of , It is impossible to accurately explain the development of science and technology in China and the situation of Chinese women .

These challenges , It reflects the complexity of the current situation of women 、 The challenge of women's issues . To be honest , Some of our previous discussions and perspectives have not been free from parochialism . While updating their own knowledge system , Also hope to find some more focused 、 It is easier to clarify the perspective of thinking , To continue the story of women and Technology .

I once read an article in the middle school text 《 Nuclear boat 》, Carve all kinds of things on the small stone 、 Each has its own modality , This is the magic skill of traditional Chinese craftsmen . We also try to take some specific technologies as the core , Carving the boat of technology that may change women's future destiny , Provide you with some new perspectives .

It coincides with the recent overthrow of the landmark on the right to abortion in the United States “ Roy v. Wade ”,“ Nurture ” As a biological difference between men and women , There should be no dispute . So the first article in this series , Let's start with reproductive technology , Look at the history of the biotechnology revolution , Changes for women , What kind of route will be opened in the future .

What are the technologies to get rid of the pain of childbirth ？

Freud has a famous saying ： Biology is destiny . He thinks that , Life is “ The natural world ” The choice of . such “ Natural determinism ”, Treat men and women differently through biological differences , It has been criticized by feminists many times in history . But you must have found , Although now there are some “ Transgender ”, Differences in sexual organs still have a strong impact on the lives of men and women , Especially the death threat and “ Parental punishment ”, Are all real difficulties .

This also explains why the United States overthrew “ Roy v. Wade ” after , About half of the states prohibit abortion , It has attracted a lot of opposition and the attention of human rights organizations , The core reason is that it will put some women's reproductive health at great risk , Improve maternal mortality .

Biological motherhood , Regardless of class 、 race , It has a far-reaching impact on women . And reproductive technology , It's the core of technology that changes women's destiny .

There are two main types of fertility intervention techniques ： One is less pregnancy Technology Less Pregnancy , Another non pregnancy technique No Pregnancy. The purpose of the former is to reduce unwanted births , Subdivided into ： Contraceptive technology 、 Abortion Technology 、 Test tube baby technology . The latter goes further , Hope to pass “ Artificial uterus ”、 Asexual reproduction technology , Change women “ The fertility machine ” Destiny .

These technologies are not achieved overnight . so to speak , Every reproductive technology revolution , Behind it are the results of a series of comprehensive scientific and technological progress .

in the first place , Progress in Material Chemistry , Expanded the capabilities of the tool .

In the early primitive society , Most contraceptive technologies are not based on Science , For example, the artifact of sliding the fetus that often appears in movies and TV dramas “ musk ”, In ancient Europe, it was also popular to wear amulets such as weasel like testicles for contraception . Some techniques that may be useful are crude , For example, made of leather 、 Linen 、 Condoms made of sheep intestines , The effect is not ideal .

The contraceptive technology revolution that has really greatly changed the fate of women , It depends on the progress of materials , Charles in the 19th century · Goodyear （Charles Goodyear） Invented a kind of “ vulcanization ” process , Make natural rubber more durable , It won't crack like before , Not only completely changed the tires 、 Sports shoes and other supplies , It also ushered in a new era of contraceptive technology .1839 year , Rubber is used to make high-quality condoms , The failure rate can be reduced to 2%, Let women have the right to choose whether they are pregnant or not .

（ Early condoms ）

Another tool to improve reproductive safety , It's an endoscope . In ancient times, countries have used external force to hit the female abdomen to cause fetal abortion , Such as “ Smash clothes and pestle his waist ”,1973 Unearthed from the Han tomb at Mawangdui in 《 Fetal birth certificate 》, It records that the child died in the abdomen through acupuncture . These methods are undoubtedly very unsafe .1853 year , French doctors have developed an instrument for checking the urinary tract and bladder , Since then, the endoscope has been used in the abdominal cavity 、 Gastroscopy and other medical examinations , until 1937 year , Laparoscopy has only begun to be used for gynecological examinations , Diagnosis of ectopic pregnancy , The safety of abortion operation is greatly improved .

both , The development of biological science , It enriches the cognition of fertility .

until 20 Mid Century , Scientists generally admit , Human life begins at the moment when sperm are fertilized in the fallopian tube . With a deeper understanding of reproductive activities , Plus at that time, women began to undertake more social work , It becomes unrealistic to keep having children , So people began to yearn for a drug that can effectively prevent accidental pregnancy . Eventually, John, MD · Locke （John Rock） stay 1950 In the s, a synthetic drug with high-dose progesterone was produced , After clinical trials and official approval , Finally ushered in a new era of reliable contraception .

Studies have shown that , After the promotion of contraceptives , The overall academic qualifications of women have been significantly improved , It provides good conditions for entering the public sphere . stay 1970 - 1990 During the year , The proportion of women in professions such as medicine and law has increased 30% about .

（ The first contraceptive ）

With the birth control pills , And abortion drugs .1982 year 《 The New York times 》 A new contraceptive is reported RU-486 Mifepristone , By interrupting the progesterone signal , Let the body think it is not suitable to continue pregnancy . in general , Medical abortion is compared with surgery , It can better protect women's privacy 、 Reduce organic damage . At the same time, because of the concealment of its operation , Increased the risk of medical accidents .

Of course , Contraception is ok , Abortion or not , Will inevitably cause certain harm to the female body . Is there a possibility , Completely change the relationship between fertility and women ？ Artificial uterus + Asexual reproduction , It provides human beings with a path beyond natural reproduction .

2002 year 2 month , Cornell University successfully cultivated the world's first artificial endometrium , And in one “ Artificial uterus ” Human embryos were bred in , It's seen as “ Human cloning ” Another biology after Technology “ bomb ”, It means that childbirth can be completed independently of the female body .

The above experiment was stopped a few days later , But the pace of science has not stopped , Keep going for longer 、 Healthier routes continue “ development ” the . Recent heavy progress , It's a team from Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel , For the first time, a mouse embryo was cultured with an artificial uterus 6 God , It reaches one third of the whole gestation period of mice , That is, the human fetal stage . This may also explain , Why do some reproductive scientists boldly predict that the function is complete 、 The artificial uterus that can conceive embryos in the whole process is expected to be in the future 10 Born within the year .

Another form of artificial uterus , It is “ Male mothers ”, Make one in the male's abdominal cavity “ Artificial uterus ”, Then implant the fertilized egg , Finally, the baby was successfully removed by cesarean section , Although the current technology is still very immature , But it works in theory .

And the appearance of artificial uterus , It is also considered to be the key to the ultimate opportunity for men and women to achieve biological equality , Sexual organ differences become completely irrelevant , yes “ Great biological and social equalizer ”. Not only women may get rid of the pain of childbirth , Men can also have children without relying on women . Same sex partners 、 Transgender 、 Forced surrogate , Can benefit from this technology .

Not only some feminists such as philosopher Firestone , In favor of liberating women through artificial wombs , Tesla founder and CEO Elon · musk 、“ The etheric fang ” Co founder vitalik · Butlin and other male scientists have also recognized this technology in public .

You can find , There is no progress in many technologies , There is no step-by-step liberation of women from the plight of childbirth . This shows at least two things ：

1. The improvement of technology and productivity , The essence is human's transformation of nature , This must include the transformation of biology , Therefore, the biological differences between men and women will inevitably disappear with technological progress , This is the general trend that does not depend on someone's will .

2. Discuss gender issues now , Stay more on political civilization 、 Social culture 、 The discussion and supplement of the system standard law , This is certainly important , But it is also slow , There may also be the overthrow of the United States “ Roy v. Wade ” Such a big setback , But it often ignores technology as an important means . And this is perhaps the most critical means . If biology is fate , That technology will change fate .

Feminine Technology , Masculine medicine

without doubt , Fertility technology is a kind of “ feminine ” Technology with obvious properties , Its core is around female pregnancy and childbirth , However, for a long time , There are also two cases of women and reproductive technology ：

1. Reproductive technology has caused new harm to women . Birth control ring 、 acyeterion 、 Abortion surgery, etc , The emergence of these new technologies has also brought some negative effects and side effects to women . Take the contraceptive pill for example , Its side effects include nausea 、 dizzy 、 Vomiting, etc ; Due to the lack of medical resources , The popularity of relevant knowledge is not high , Pregnant women are also prone to endanger their lives due to improper use of abortion Technology . Besides , Modern reproductive technology in some backward areas , May become “ Selective reproduction “ Tools for , Bring mental pressure to women who are pregnant with female babies .

2. The research and development of reproductive technology is still dominated by men . Almost all the reproductive technology innovations mentioned above , All invented by men .STEM Discipline and work , The proportion of women is much lower than that of men , Formed a male centered professional standard , This makes women who enter the medical field not only have to pay more efforts to learn reproductive technology , Sometimes you have to get rid of femininity to “ integrate into ” Groups , Become masculine “ Woman doctor ”. On the one hand, it deepened people's stereotype of women , Think men are more professional in reproductive technology ; On the other hand, it also makes some medical technologies with masculine characteristics precipitated in history continue to be applied , It can't be corrected . For example, the use of some invasive tools during gynecological examination , Many women feel embarrassed to be operated by male doctors , At present, some hospitals with humanistic care , In order to make female patients more acceptable , It is stipulated that male doctors must have a female medical staff present at the same time to assist or accompany .

As mentioned before , Technology can change fate , And want to change the reproductive fate of women , What is needed is the female standard 、 Technology based on human nature . This also leads to the future development direction of reproductive technology .

firstly , It is to support and promote female scientists 、 researcher 、 The study and employment of doctors , Change the deeply embedded masculine characteristics in the reproductive technology system .

second , Is to increase the number of girls 、 Grassroots women 、 Sex education for women in backward areas . Because the level of education is generally lower than that of men , Women in some less developed countries and regions , Modern reproductive knowledge and technology such as contraception cannot be obtained in time , Thus falling into the situation of fertility and poverty . Kenya is in its 2019-2020 Proposed in the annual action plan , We should establish a county-level multi agency group to prevent teenage pregnancy .

third , It is through digital technology to improve the innovation efficiency of reproductive technology 、 accessibility 、 Usage rate . at present , Digital technology is accelerating medical 、 Pharmacy 、 Biological experiments 、 Areas such as genetic engineering have become safer 、 accurate 、 Pratt & Whitney . We once interviewed a case , Life Bank of Nigeria （Lifebank） Through real-time high-speed network , Address the efficiency challenges of blood transport and distribution , Send blood and other medical necessities to the hospital in time , Successfully saved many pregnant women who suffered massive bleeding during childbirth . And its founder is a woman and mother , His name is temi · Jiva · Tobson . at present , Global digital infrastructure construction is in a period of rapid growth , future “ Numbers + fertility ” It will not be just a stage for scientists , It will also attract more women to play various roles 、 Rich and diverse abilities to join , Promote more reproductive technology innovation , Maybe it will be “girls help girls” A hard core opening method of .

Of course , Will the biotechnology revolution bring new problems ？ The answer is yes .

From the moment of the birth of the new reproductive technology , We are always facing ethical torture . in fact , Even the promotion of condoms , Have experienced a game with the U.S. government and religious figures , Invented in condoms 20 After year , The United States 《 The Comstock act 》 Pornography will also be used in 、 Artificial contraception and all obscene materials are illegal . And artificial uterus 、 Gene editor 、 tube baby …… these “ Against nature ” Reproductive technology , At present, it is also considered to challenge the existence of God in the West , It must also experience culture 、 Politics 、 A series of considerations such as law , Finally selectively enter reality .

in addition , Fertility is considered one of the values of women , If women are no longer the only ones who can have children , Will the social status and living conditions deteriorate further , It has also attracted the attention of many feminists . In the last century, some scholars proposed , Artificial uterus technology will lead to the death of women , If they give up their fertility , May face violence .

Gender issues can converge into technical issues , Technology itself also carries complex social elements , This is also where women's technology deserves attention .

But one thing is for sure , The core of the biotechnology revolution will not change , And women are more likely to have children , Is emerging .