Should we get rid of pregnancy?

翻译人员: Shirley Zhao 校对人员: Bruce Wang

What if we changed one of the most fundamental building blocks of life

如果我们改变生命中 一大最基本的组成部分，

to make it more accessible?

让它变得更容易实现呢？

What would happen if we got rid of birth?

如果我们不再需要自然生产， 会发生什么？

(Phone ringing)

（电话铃声）

Hi, grandma.

嗨，奶奶。

Hello, sunshine!

你好，我的小太阳！

Oh, did you mean to video call?

哦，你要跟我视频通话吗？

Eh? Video call? When are you going to visit me?

嗯？是视频？ 你打算什么时候来看我？

I don't know how much time I have left.

我不知道我还有多少时间能活。

Eh yeah, none of us do, grandma. None of us do.

嗯，我们谁都不知道，奶奶。 没有人指的。

Ah. Did I tell you? Your cousin is pregnant!

啊。我告诉你了吗？ 你堂姐怀孕了！

Oh, wow. That’s great. Uh, should you be telling me that?

哦，哇。太棒了。 呃，我应该知道这件事吗？

Huh? What do you mean?

嗯？你是什么意思？

Nevermind. What’s new with you?

没什么。你最近怎么样？

What’s new with me? I just told you.

我最近怎么样？我刚才告诉过你。

She’s only three years older than you, you know.

你知道的，你堂姐只比你大三岁。

Something to think about.

你该考虑了。

Grandma, I’m 22. I have plenty of time.

奶奶，我才 22 岁。我还有很多时间。

Less than you think! That’s all I’m saying.

没你想的那么多！ 我就是这个意思。

Mhm. Alright, I have to get back to work.

嗯。好吧，我得回去工作了。

Okay, sunshine. I love you to pieces.

好吧，小太阳。爱你。

I love you too.

我也爱你。

Oh! Sorry, I didn’t realize you were waiting for me.

哦！抱歉，我没意识到你在等我。

Hmph.

哼。

How am I supposed to plan for something I can’t even imagine?

我该怎么为自己 还无法想象的事情做计划？

That I don’t even know if I want?

我甚至不知道自己是否愿意怀孕？

Well, I may not know whether or not I want kids,

好吧，我还不知道自己想不想要孩子，

but I definitely don't want to be pregnant.

但我绝对不想怀孕。

Like, if you listen to the way people casually describe pregnancy and birth!

你随便听听人们是 怎么描述怀孕和分娩的！

“Oh, nothing out of the ordinary, just puked every day for months!”

“哦，没什么不寻常的， 只是连续几个月每天都在呕吐！”

“It was a routine delivery, just the standard tearing of the genitals!”

“就是一次普通的分娩， 正常撕裂下体而已！”

“With modern medicine, hardly anyone dies!”

“生产过程使用现代医学， 几乎没有人因此死亡！”

How is everyone just shrugging and saying, “that’s the way it is”?

怎么每个人都耸了耸肩， 说：“就是这样”？

Like, excuse me, am I the only one who thinks this activity is not suitable

比如，对不起，难道我是唯一一个

for civilians?

认为这种活动不适合普通人的人吗？

Even the best case is a year of major inconvenience

即使是最好的情况，在怀孕和康复之间

between being pregnant and recovering.

也有一年的时间非常不方便。

It's so unfair.

太不公平了。

Well, it's not my fault she's out to lunch.

这可不是我的问题， 她出去吃午饭了。

Oh! Hello...

哦！你好...

Huh. “The Artificial Womb” by Wilhelmina Heliotrope.

啊，这是威廉敏娜·赫利奥特罗（Wilhelmina Heliotrope）发表的《人造子宫》。

I didn’t realize her original papers were still here.

我没意识到她原来的报纸还在这里。

(Reading) “Pregnancy has caused so much suffering.

（阅读）“怀孕造成了很多痛苦。

What if we could bypass it completely?

如果我们能完全跳过这一过程呢？

What if we could grow humans just as well outside the body

如果我们能在体外 像在人体内一样培育人类，

as inside?”

会怎样？”

Yes, exactly!

是的，没错！

(Reading) “This may be the stuff of science fiction for now,

（阅读）“目前这可能听上去是 科幻小说的内容，

but with sustained interest and effort,

但只要持续关注和努力，

It doesn’t have to be forever.”

它可能会成为现实。”

Well, that's a future I want to live in.

好吧，这就是我想生活的未来。

There’s a womb center in every town, and anyone can use it free of charge.

每个城镇都有子宫中心， 任何人都可以免费使用。

Oh, I guess I still have to get the eggs out of my body.

哦，我想我还得把卵子从体内拿出来。

I really only want to go through that once.

我真的只想经历一次这样的过程。

But I'm still not sure if I want kids or how many,

但我还是不确定 我想不想要孩子或者要多少孩子，

so I get a bunch extracted to be safe.

所以为了安全起见， 我从体内提取了一大堆卵子。

And then I go about my business for however long I want.

然后，我自己的事业 可以想做多久就做多久。

Nobody raises an eyebrow or asks nosy questions.

没人会感到意外，也没人多管闲事了。

Even though grandma can still butt in.

尽管奶奶还能插话。

Hello? Hi!

你好？你好！

When I’m ready— when I’m really ready, not just when it’s the least worst time—

当我准备好时... 当我真正准备好时， 而不仅是因为这是相对没那么糟的时机

one of these artificial wombs starts growing the fetus.

其中一个人造子宫开始孕育胎儿。

In the meantime, I volunteer to be infected with the Zika virus

同时，我自愿感染寨卡病毒

for a vaccine trial.

参加疫苗试验。

Then it's time to pick up my baby.

然后是时候去接我的宝宝了。

Oh, I hope you named her after me!

哦，我希望你能用我的名字给她起名字！

You know, the hardest part is after the baby's born, right?

你知道，最难的部分 是宝宝出生之后，对吧？

Well, at least I’m not recovering from a major ordeal at the same time.

好吧，至少我不需要同时 从一场重大磨难中恢复过来。

And we'll split the work.

然后我们将分工合作。

I wouldn’t count on it.

我可不这么认为。

You think pregnancy is the only reason mothers do more than their share?

你认为怀孕是导致 妈妈们付出更多的唯一原因吗？

Think again.

再想一想。

But now that anyone can make a baby using an artificial womb,

但是现在任何人都可以 使用人造子宫生孩子，

maybe people stop seeing everything child-related as women’s work.

也许人们不再将 照顾孩子有关的事视为女性的工作。

Oh, I don't know.

哦，我不知道。

(Reading) “The artificial womb is my greatest dream,

（阅读）“人造子宫是我最大的梦想，

but we face daunting social problems this technology won’t solve.”

但我们还面临着这项技术 无法解决的艰巨社会问题。”

Oh, not you too!

哦，你怎么也这样！

(Reading) “There are already powerful voices arguing that we should

（阅读）“已经有强有力的声音争辩说，

treat fetuses and even embryos as people.

我们应该像对待人一样 对待胎儿甚至胚胎。

Based on these arguments, women have even been charged with murder

基于这些论点，妇女甚至在流产后

after miscarrying.

被指控犯有谋杀罪。

Will they use the invention of artificial wombs

他们会利用人造子宫的发明

to justify outlawing abortion entirely?”

来为完全禁止堕胎的正当性辩护吗？”

Uh, what?

呃，什么？

So they would argue no one needs an abortion if they can transfer the fetus

所以他们会争辩说， 如果他们能将胎儿转移到人造子宫里，

to an artificial womb instead?

就没有人需要堕胎吗？

But... say I get pregnant by accident.

但是... 如果说我意外怀孕了。

An abortion would prioritize my health and safety.

堕胎手术意味着将优先考虑 我的健康和安全。

A transfer to an artificial womb prioritizes the fetus's health,

移植手术则将 移植到人造子宫的胎儿的健康放在首位，

making it way more invasive for me.

这让我经历更痛苦的医疗介入过程。

And I didn't actually want another kid.

而且我实际上并不想要一个孩子。

(Wilhelmina) “Not to mention, a single fertility clinic can house

（威廉敏娜）“更不用说，

hundreds of thousands of embryos.

一家生育诊所可以容纳成千上万的胚胎。

If they’re all considered people— well.”

如果他们都被视为人，那... ”

Wait, so I don’t get to choose whether my stored embryos

等等，这样我就无法选择我储存的胚胎

are grown into babies anymore?

是否需要长成婴儿了？

But I intentionally made extras! Everyone does!

但我有意多留了卵子！ 每个人都这样做了！

It will take the womb center a thousand years just to grow the embryos

子宫中心需要一千年的时间

it already has in storage.

才能培育出所有已经储存的胚胎。

No one new will be able to use an artificial womb.

没有新人能够使用人造子宫。

Unless we increase the number of them by several orders of magnitude.

除非我们将它们的数量增加几个数量级。

And even then we still have to figure out how to support billions of new babies.

即便如此，我们仍然需要弄清楚 该如何养活数十亿新生儿。

Wait... artificial wombs don’t actually make it easier to justify

等等... 实际上人造子宫 并不能更容易地证明

granting embryos all the rights of people.

授予胚胎 人所具有的所有权利是合理的。

They make it even more clear what a disaster that would be.

它们更清楚地证明那将是一场灾难。

It forces us to clearly define a moral status for embryos and fetuses

这迫使我们明确定义 胚胎和胎儿的道德地位，

that protects them,

并加以保护，

but doesn’t prioritize them at all costs.

但不是不惜一切代价优先考虑他们。

By the time my daughter grows up,

等我女儿长大后，

artificial wombs are once again widely and freely available,

人造子宫又可以免费使用了，

and I don’t have to worry about her suffering through pregnancy, birth,

我不必担心她会因怀孕、分娩

and postpartum recovery.

和产后恢复而遭受痛苦。

Aha!

啊哈！

What happens when she wants to experience pregnancy, eh?

要是她想体验怀孕过程呢，嗯？

What! After everything we went through to make sure her generation

什么！在我们为确保她这一代人

would be free to use artificial wombs?

可以自由使用人造子宫 而做了所有事情之后？

You disapprove?

你不赞成？

Well, no, not exactly. I just— she doesn’t understand.

好吧，不，不完全是。 我只是... 她不明白。

You want her to learn from your experience. Ha!

你想让她从你的经历中明白这一切。哈！

Uh-huh, I see where you’re going with this.

啊，我明白你什么意思。

No, I can accept this.

不，我可以接受。

She should make her own choice. Just like me.

她应该做出自己的选择。 就像我一样。

Haha!

哈哈！

(Reading) “If we end up with less choice because of this technological progress,

（阅读）“如果由于这种技术进步 而导致我们的选择更少，

it isn’t progress at all.”

那根本不是进步。”

But we can’t make progress If we stuff these ideas away in a box

但是，如果我们将这些想法塞进盒子里，

and ignore the questions they raise.

忽略它们提出的问题， 我们就无法取得进展。

Getting the world ready for artificial wombs would also help lots of people now.

现在，让世界为人造子宫的实现做好准备 将对许多人有所帮助。

And then, maybe... maybe I’d actually be able to imagine

然后，也许... 也许我真的 能想象那些障碍一样

the good parts of becoming a parent as vividly as the obstacles.

生动地想象成为父母带来的好处。

Ada? What are you doing in my office?

艾达？你在我办公室干什么？

Are you... going through my things?

你... 在翻看我的东西吗？

Your things? Aren’t they Wilhelmina’s?

你的东西？他们不是威廉敏娜的吗？

I—I mean, Dr. Heliotrope’s?

我的意思是，赫利奥特罗博士的？

That's it. Out!

够了。出去！

Are you... firing me?

你... 在开除我吗？

Okay, I’ll take that as a maybe?

好吧，我认为有这种可能？

Well, I think people should see your work.

我认为人们应该看看你的作品。

We're as ready for it as we'll ever be.

我们已经准备好了。

Hey, grandma! You wanted me to visit? How’s tomorrow?

嘿，奶奶！你想让我来看看？ 明天怎么样？