[mikegi]

Ten years ago survivability may have been 28 weeks (just a guestimate). Today it's 23 to 24. Setting a limit will insure only one thing. That 23 to 24 weeks will be the limit from here on out. Frankly I'd like to see it become 15 weeks sometime down the road and even less years after that.

At 15 weeks, babies don't even have lungs. Even at 24 weeks, the lungs barely function. From what I've read, the survival rate at 24w is around 50% and of the survivors, the significant morbidity rate is about the same.

There's a HUGE difference between 24w and 28w. Survival at 28w is around 90%.

[Sloth]

At 15 weeks, babies don't even have lungs.

Who's to say we won't develop artificial wombs & placentae?

[DoughtyOne]

I would have to agree with Sloth's response in post 70. At some point it may be viable to develop some way to keep the fetus alive far before they are able to breathe on their own.

It may even be determined that this technique is preferable to allowing that fetus to breathe on their own even at weekly markers that now see good survival rates.

The health of the fetus may be more easily balanced by prolonging the simulated stay in the womb, thus allowing lungs and other organs to mature before they are ushered into the external environment.

Unlocking the secrets to early fetus survivability hing on expanding our current knowledge, something that won't take place without pushing the envelope.