The future’s here! But who’s in control…

Imagine this: it’s 2080. Your heart isn’t just a meagre organ but a 3D printed wonder. You look down at your new, bionic arm, which is not just a replacement but an upgrade. With rapid advances in stem cell research, engineered tissues, prosthetics, and bionics, the lines between the human body and technology are increasingly blurring, arguably for the better.

But with these innovations comes a huge question… if a company builds part of your body, do you still own it?

Patents and Parts- Can Someone Own a Piece of You?

Oddly enough, body parts have been the centre of legal disputes before. In 1990, John Moore, a resident of Seattle, USA, was given treatment for hairy-celled leukaemia, where he was advised to undergo surgery to remove his spleen. He was also asked for permission to contribute to medical research, which he explicitly refused. Moore sued his doctor after discovering that his cells were being used for research without his permission, and resulted in a lucrative patent. The court ruled that he had no rights over his cells once they removed from his body: he lost. A summary of this interesting case study has been attached in a video below.

Fast forward to 2025: say a company patents your lab grown heart, or bionic arm; do they now own this technology that’s inside you? Various companies already limit repairs to medical devices such as pacemakers or implants, meaning you can’t legally fix them without their approval.

Cancel the Netflix- You Need to Subscribe to your Heart!

Here’s a concerning thought: what if your life changing, revolutionary implant came with a monthly fee? Indeed, this seems a dystopian concept, but not entirely far fetched. A range of pacemaker manufacturers already have restrictions on accessing software updates, and there are concerns that future medical technology such as smart prosthetics could adopt a subscription models.

A range of ethical questions are ultimately raised from this:

• What happens if someone cannot afford their payments? Does this simply result in a loss of function of their vital organ/limb? Will this lead to death?
• Should companies be permitted to charge for continued access to essential body parts?

A Fine Line- Treatment and Enhancement

Its almost inevitable with the pace that technology is moving, bionic limbs will eventually supersede our natural ones. Should athletes be using these in various sports? A new brain implant has the ability to boost and promote intelligence- how do we decide who has access to this… the big CEOs? Or the struggling students?

This all touches on elements of transhumanism (a video explaining this attached below), social inequalities and legal restrictions.

Conclusion: Your Body. Your Rights. But for How Long?

The idea that a company can own a part of your body might sound crazy, but we’re already heading in that direction. From patented lab-grown organs, to bionic limbs with restricted upgrades, the future of medicine is becoming entangled with corporate control, legal loopholes, and ethical issues.

And that’s an issue.

With spectacular technological advances such as bionics and prosthetics having power to transform lives we have a clear underlying risk: the commodification of our bodies. By not pushing for clear legal protections now, we’re looking at a future where vital medical technology is obstructed behind paywalls, where our own body data is exploited, and where only certain demographics such as the wealthy can partake in ‘human enhancement;’ controversial in itself.

So… who owns your body? Right now, you. But that might not be the case for much longer. Its time for society, including scientists, lawyers, and everyone in between, to ensure the future of engineered body parts is driven by human rights, not corporate profits.