Today’s topic comes to us from QSFer Sadie Rose Bermingham: “How to tackle love stories in a world where reproduction is a process that takes place entirely in a test tube and babies allocated according to a means test and regardless of orientation or marital status?”
It’s a great question. How does the human element fit in when procreation is entirely done by science? I’ve seen a few books that have tackled this topic, most notably in “Ethan of Athos”, where a planet of men reproduces solely via artificial wombs.
Such technology in our current society, if evenly applied to everyone, would result in huge changes. Women would no longer have to take time off work to reproduce. And same sex couples would be having babies in the same way as everyone else.
So my questions today: What other ramifications would universal test tube babies have on society? On LGBT culture and acceptance? How would you tell human-scale stories in such a world? And have you read anything that covers this territory?