The Center for Genetics and Society brings social justice and human rights to the center of public and policy discussions about human genetics and assisted reproduction.

Featured

Can doctors test embryos for autism? And should they?

By Brittany Luse, Liam McBain, and Neena Pathak, NPR [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 05.28.2025

Aggregated News

A newly available kind of genetic testing, called polygenic embryo screening, promises to screen for conditions that can include cancer, obesity, autism, bipolar disorder, even celiac disease. These conditions are informed by many genetic variants and environmental factors - so...

Genetic Selection

Fourth International Summit on Genome Editing Emphasizes Ethical and Societal Concerns

By CGS | 05.29.2025
Biopolitical Times

Last week, May 21–23, a broad range of experts gathered in Boston to discuss the future of powerful biotechnologies with the potential to change what it means to be human. The fourth in a series of international Summits on human genome editing, this event was organized by the Global Observatory for Genome Editing, which “seeks to expand the range of questions arising at the frontiers of emerging biotechnologies … and fosters international, interdisciplinary, and cross-sectoral dialogue.” Like previous Summits...

Policies

Trumpian “Common Sense” and the History of IQ Tests

By Pepper Stetler, Los Angeles Review of Books | 05.08.2025

Aggregated News

"Donald Trump Signs The Pledge" by Michael Vadon 
is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

This is...

Society

The Emperors’ New Clothes

By Pete Shanks | 05.29.2025
Biopolitical Times

A review of More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity...

A "Post-Human" Future?

Biopolitical Times

Fourth International Summit on Genome Editing Emphasizes Ethical and Societal Concerns

By CGS | 05.29.2025

Last week, May 21–23, a broad range of experts gathered in Boston to discuss the future of powerful biotechnologies with...

Policies

The Emperors’ New Clothes

By Pete Shanks | 05.29.2025

A review of More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity...

A "Post-Human" Future?

How Much Do (Human) Eggs Really Cost?

By Emma McDonald Kennedy | 04.24.2025

A Review of Eggonomics: The Global Market in Human Eggs and the Donors Who Supply Them by Diane M. Tober

...
U.S. Federal

News

Gene editing leaders call for 10-year suspension of heritable human genome editing

By Darren Incorvaia, Fierce Biotech | 05.28.2025

An international group of gene editing leaders has put out a call for a 10-year ban on heritable human genome editing (HHGE), extending a moratorium that was first proposed in the fallout of a Chinese researcher’s widely decried use of...

Policies

Can doctors test embryos for autism? And should they?

By Brittany Luse, Liam McBain, and Neena Pathak, NPR [cites CGS' Katie Hasson] | 05.28.2025

A newly available kind of genetic testing, called polygenic embryo screening, promises to screen for conditions that can include cancer, obesity, autism, bipolar disorder, even celiac disease. These conditions are informed by many genetic variants and environmental factors - so...

Genetic Selection

Why Deleting Your 23andMe Data Is a Political Imperative

By Katie Sagaser, The DNA Exchange | 05.27.2025

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this piece are solely my own and do not represent those of my employer, past or present, or any affiliated institutions. This content is provided for general informational purposes only and does not...

U.S. Federal

At a major genome-editing summit, spotlight turns to the value of human life

By Megan Molteni, STAT+ | 05.27.2025

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — It began, unlike any other international meeting devoted to discussions of powerful DNA-modifying technologies, with a dance. Four neon leotard-clad bodies whirled and contorted, cleaving and helixing across the stage at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences...

Society

Video
Reproduction and Family Formation: The State and the Market
Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies | Debate | Intelligence Squared U.S.
The 'Perfect' Baby?: The Dangers of Gene Editing in Assisted Reproduction