Location, location, location: the approach of healthcare professionals in defining the artificially gestated entity

Clinical trials of artificial placentas are anticipated; however, debate continues over how to define an artificially gestated entity, and little empirical research has explored stakeholder perspectives on this issue. This article presents findings from the first study in England to engage with healthcare professionals’ perspectives. Healthcare professionals, as intermediaries between developers and patients, and clinical experts, are central to shaping technology integration into clinical practice. The analysis presented in this paper frames their views on the artificially gestated entity by different forms of ‘location’. This illustrates how they align the entity with either a newborn or a foetus or propose interim definitions. The lack of consensus amongst healthcare professionals is shown to derive from their reliance on existing legal and medical frameworks. The significance of this article therefore lies in the evidence it provides that the current legal framework in England does not adequately support a consistent definition of an artificially gestated entity. Further, engagement with this stakeholder group reveals the practical implications that ambiguous definitions could have for clinical settings. This article argues that stakeholder groups must collaborate to develop regulatory frameworks for artificial placenta technology that support clinical integration and account for the interplay between law and medical practice.