Beyond IVF: Eugenics and Reproductive Biotechnology

Access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) has emerged as a crucial issue in the 2024 election. While the Republican Party Platform claims support for access to IVF, many backers of Donald Trump and Project 2025 have pushed for restrictions on IVF. The Republican-backed Life at Conception Act would declare that an embryo is a human being from “the moment of fertilization.” If it passes, it would endanger IVF treatments across the country. As Senator, Trump’s vice-presidential candidate JD Vance voted against the opposing Right to IVF Act. In contrast, Kamala Harris has committed to access to IVF.

While IVF should absolutely be legally protected, politicians and public commentators should not flatten discussions of reproductive biotechnology as a simple choice between access and restriction. What is missing from this debate is the complex terrain that prospective parents have to navigate regarding reproductive genetic technologies. Over the past 25 years, biotechnology companies have rapidly developed a range of reproductive technologies, from non-invasive prenatal testing to polygenic embryo screening. Companies and researchers claim that other genetic detection, selection, and editing tools are on...