Science Fiction and the Ethics of Artificial Wombs

Reviews / Votes

What I like so much about this book, is the way it breaks down boundaries between different disciplines. It demonstrates the great value for normative ethics of combining bioethical debate with literary analysis and speculative fiction. This will exhilarate not only bioethical discussions on ectogenesis, but also how bioethics as such can be approached. * Seppe Segers, Professor of Ethics and Moral Science, Ghent University, Belgium * Kendal's Science Fiction and the Ethics of Artificial Wombs constitutes a timely and valuable contribution to scholarship exploring the use of speculative fiction in ethical debates surrounding technological innovation. Drawing on bioethics, feminist theory, and literary studies this monograph challenges its readers to explore the positive role that engagement with science fiction could play in constructing technological futures, in addition to its most common use as cautionary tale. * Nicola Jane Williams, Wellcome Lecturer in the Ethics of Human Reproduction, Lancaster University, UK * In Science Fiction and the Ethics of Artificial Wombs, Kendal's analysis of bioethics and its engagement with science fiction invites readers to think about the importance of popular culture in shaping social policy and medical futures. She argues that artificial womb technology should be explored in the name of a liberal feminism that might free women from the difficulties of pregnancy, speaking to key contemporary issues surrounding reproductive rights and the philosophies of natalism. This is a valuable contribution to the growing scholarship on the ethics of ectogenesis, as well as a case study for the value of science fiction in the field of bioethics. * Anna McFarlane, James Murray Beattie Lecturer in Fantasy Literature, University of Glasgow, UK * An original and enlightening exploration of an underexplored topic. Kendal draws on a diverse range of science fiction sources to demonstrate how the genre offers invaluable insights into contemporary bioethics. * Stephen Wilkinson, Distinguished Professor of Bioethics, Lancaster University, UK *