Dystopian Parallels in Real-World Research

A world of highly advanced health care lies at our fingertips, but uncanny parallels to the dystopian society of A Brave New World draw hesitations from literature enthusiasts and scientists alike. Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World depicts a totalitarian regime enforcing complete productivity on society through mass cloning and human conditioning. In our world today, advancements in artificial organs and artificial prenatal research are bringing us one step closer to Huxley’s depicted reality. Comparing our current science in artificial development to the extreme scenario presented in A Brave New World highlights the need for ethical introspection as our technology progresses.

The development of artificial human tissue has accelerated within the last decade, and the use of three-dimensional printing has greatly contributed to this progress. Cornell Medical College, used 3-D printing in the process of growing an ear for “children born with malformed outer ears” (Wolinky 836). The first step of the process was using scans of the patient's ear to design and print a mold. Next, a gel made up of cartilage cells and collagen was put into the mold to develop into cartilage before being removed from the mold, placed in cell culture, and then implanted on the patient. In total, the process only took several days and resulted in an ear that looked and functioned like a natural ear (“Bioengineers, Physicians 3-D Print Ears That Look, Act Real”). Another example comes from research at the University of Michigan. Here, a plastic splint was printed in order to treat someone with tracheobronchomalacia, a condition that affects the trachea and bronchus. Besides molds and plastic repairs, the three-dimensional printing of specific tissue cell “inks” is also used today for organ damage repair (Wolinky 836).

More recent to three-dimensional printing, a promise for creating complex organs can be found in four-dimensional printing. What distinguishes four-dimensional from three-dimensional printing are the varying cell inks used, and the printing of major structures first rather than using the layer-by-layer process. This means any printed material will be much closer in function to the human parts it’s replacing, as it will be able to retain its shape more successfully (Miao). 4D printing is still incredibly new, but it holds immense promise in biomedical research and development. In summation of the current 3-D and 4-D printers used in health care, molds and the making of specific tissues are a reality. What remains science fiction is the printing or growing of full complex organs or human persons (Wolinky 836).

Along with artificial organ development, artificial womb research is a fast-growing area of study. The most relevant example on this topic is the original artificial womb experiment that was done on a lamb fetus. In this experiment, the lamb was placed into a plastic “biobag” that was filled with a liquid imitating amniotic fluid. Nutrition and oxidation of the blood were maintained by connecting the placenta to a machine called an “oxygenator” (Winter). In the bag, the lamb developed normally and was taken out at 28 days so it could start breathing air on its own. This original experiment has been repeated by other researchers with both lamb and goat fetuses with varying results (Winter). While the relative success of the lamb womb experiment is encouraging, the process of designing artificial placentas and programming the oxygenators has proven difficult. Maintaining circulatory conditions ranging from blood pressure to endocrine support is a scrupulous task, but further animal trials continue to improve the machines. Replicating the prenatal environment, in general, is also challenging to do while accounting for variance between fetuses and the influence the mother’s living conditions would have had (Bird). Stepping back, the parallels between current intervention of early development and the cloning of A Brave New World are made clear. 

Similarities in current science and dystopian literature help propel the ethical conversation around bioengineering technology forward. Previous incidents within the field of engineering help display the long-standing issues that will continue to persist. One such problem stems from company deadline pressures, which have led to a faulty design by the careless overlook of superiors. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system incident of 1972 was an example of this. It unfolded after three engineers were fired after they raised concerns on safety to upper management. The fault in the system resulted in a train derailing and four passengers on board being injured (“Ethics in Bioengineering: JBE” 228). The Three-Mile Island nuclear meltdown of 1979 was yet another case of disaster following poor response to faculty members’ concerns. (“Ethics in Bioengineering: JBE” 228). In contrast to fast-moving production being negative, restricting, or even halting progress altogether from fear could fail to (avert) preventable deaths. As the field of bioengineering continues to expand, this issue will expand as well. Another concern will surface around intellectual property and copyright claims when it comes to coding for organ printing. The relationship between an individual’s patent and lending the health care system access to resources is a precarious one (Wolinsky 837).  

Switching lenses, the topic of prenatal development lays the foundation for a conversation, especially if artificial wombs become common for human use. The potential governmental regulation on the rights of a mother to carry the child naturally is one concern. It raises the question of if someone could be deemed unfit to carry their own child. Comparatively, having access to artificial wombs might function as a solution between pro-life and pro-choice people. ()  It could do this by removing the burden of carrying the child without aborting a fetus at all. The potential reality of having a child develop outside of the mother is thrilling in some respects, but straining in others. Specifically, defining the relationship a mother has with her child will be put up into the air. () Each of these examples are merely a scant overview of much deeper questions we will navigate as technology evolves. 

These ethical concerns can also be tied to issues displayed in A Brave New World. One such issue of the novel is seen with the paramount emphasis placed on productivity in the World State. This is similar to the aforementioned company-enforced pressures around product demand.  (“Ethics in Bioengineering: JBE.” 227). Furthermore, the precarious line between fixing injury and enhancing human ability mirrors the process of growing fetuses within A Brave New World. In the book, different prenatal conditions were created depending on their caste in society. Another ethical question stems from the success of the lamb experiment. With the assumption that these trials in artificial development will extend to human babies, the individuality of mothers' placenta and womb as well as the general definition of motherhood is put on the table. This connection will be stretched in a way the World Order uses to its advantage to limit social bonding and control the population. 

Current research in artificial development can be juxtaposed with Huxley’s A Brave New World to create a premise of ethical dialogue. As we continue to progress as a society, we gain better tools to fix injuries and prevent previously untreatable states of health. However, with this progress comes necessary reflection on our morals both nationally and globally.