Top Biopolitical Times Posts of 2013

Posted by Pete Shanks December 18, 2013
Biopolitical Times

Following a Biopolitical Times tradition, we present some of our favorite blog posts of the year, out of well over 100 by 15 different contributors. Thanks to all the guests! In alphabetical order by title:

Advocating Eugenics in the UK Department of Education
by Pete Shanks
Dominic Cummings, a senior adviser to the UK Secretary of State for Education, provoked a flurry of complaints about his technocratic, effectively eugenic, definitely gene-focused approach to public policy.

Big Business in Babies: First IVF Company Now Being Traded on the Stock Market
by Judy Norsigian and Miriam Zoll
Would corporate earnings shrink if more women were made aware of high IVF failure rates? Does the future of the fertility industry depend on expanding into new markets in the Middle East and Asia?

DNA Ancestry Testing: What Can it Say about Native American Identity?
by Jessica Cussins
The question of who belongs to what Native American tribe is rife with political, social, and legal implications. Do DNA ancestry tests provide answers or add another layer of misunderstanding?

Eight Misconceptions about “Three-Parent Babies”
by Jessica Cussins
Amid the talk about “mitochondria replacement” or “three-parent babies,” here are the top misconceptions proliferating about the efficacy, safety, public support, and societal implications.

Gene-ism and Mass Murder
by Marcy Darnovsky
Proposals to analyze the genes of a mass murderer have rightly drawn criticism from experts, including the editors of Nature.

Involuntary Sterilization Then and Now
by Jessica Cussins
North Carolina will be the first US state to offer compensation to victims of state-sponsored forced sterilization programs. The decision marks a milestone in the long struggle for recognition of this tragic history, but what about the questionable sterilizations still taking place today?

Meet the New Eugenics, Same as the Old Eugenics
by Gina Maranto
According to a new wave of eugenic advocacy, “we” have a “moral obligation” to enhance future generations.

More Concerns Over Familial DNA Searching
by Osagie K. Obasogie
A recent paper by Rori Rohlfs et. al., and two accompanying videos, suggest that real concerns still remain with familial searching in California's DNA databases.

Predicting the IQ of Future People
by Pete Shanks
The resignation of Jason Richwine from the Heritage Foundation raised the profile of racist views about IQ. Expect new publicity soon for genetic claims about intelligence.

Selling the Story: Down Syndrome, Fetal Gene Testing, and The Today Show
by George Estreich
On The Today Show, a couple learns the results of a noninvasive prenatal gene test. Left unanswered are questions about the effects of new technologies, and how those technologies are sold.

Sofia Vergara Freezing Her [Perfect, Perfect, Perfect] Eggs
by Diane Tober
Several celebrities have announced they’re doing it. But social egg freezing is nothing to be taken lightly.

“World's First GM Babies Born”: 12-Year-Old Article Continues to Cause Confusion
by Jessica Cussins
An undated Daily Mail article that is actually over a decade old continues to spread misinformation about human genetic modification.

Previously on Biopolitical Times: