We’ve all seen the blue pill, red pill decision Neo had to make in the iconic Matrix movie. But now that reality is finally catching up with fiction as a German molecular biologist has introduced the world’s first artificial womb facility, who knows what kind of bleak future humanity may be facing. Mass harvesting of humans could be on the horizon, and what does that spell? The end of natural conception? The end of motherhood? Perhaps this scientist should re-watch the Matrix
The Matrix film has long captivated audiences with its thoughtful exploration of reality and freedom in the face of an oppressive system. Its premise is based on Morpheus’s thesis that people are slaves, their bodies suspended in pods, and the only way to truly be free is to see what lies beyond. The notions from this fictional sci-fi universe are now becoming increasingly tangible with German molecular biologists unveiling EctoLife, the world’s first artificial womb that is capable of incubating up to 30,000 babies a year. An entire generation born into bondage as they were grown by machines; Morpheus himself could not have predicted it. Only seeing is believing, and so if the Matrix beckons your attention—just as Neo in the movie perhaps it’s time to see for yourself and swallow the red pill.
But wait there’s more! You can track the developmental progress of your baby from the comfort of your own home with an app. Oh and you can even create a playlist of music for your baby in its sterile pod.
A brave new world is upon us and pod babies are real. EctoLife, the world’s first artificial womb, is evidence of this; it has enough capacity to incubate 30,000 pod babies every year. But with great power comes the potential for egregious abuse. What if the state were to use this technology as a license to regulate how people conceive and raise children? It’s not impossible: in The Matrix, Neo comes to understand that he had been living in a pod his entire life, enslaved by machines—a prophetic warning because pod babies are now real. We must ensure that we keep a close eye on developments, or else we might one day find ourselves living with state-run baby farms.
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