Biopolitical Times

The Center for Genetics and Society blog highlights the latest developments in the social, political, and ethical implications of human biotechnologies, with contributions from staff, fellows, consultants, and guest authors.

Who Among Us Is Valuable Enough to Save?

By Pete Shanks | 06.03.2020

Who should live and who should die? That brutal and generally unspoken question is behind all the eugenic reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of those assaults on decency are obviously racist, or ableist, but others are a little more subtle and arguably at least as dangerous, since the eugenics is somewhat less apparent.

People are grasping for solutions that don’t exist. That explains the meretricious attraction of quack remedies, fake statistics and claims of miracles....

Confronting Racist Eugenics in the Pandemic

By Pete Shanks | 05.06.2020

Biopolitical Times

The COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting forms of discrimination that many well-meaning people have managed to ignore for many years. This is not a phenomenon limited to one country or even one category of people (categorizing itself is part of the problem). It’s not necessarily a revival so much as a revelation to some who have preferred not to see that eugenics is very much alive and very much needs to be called out, criticized and eliminated from our societies.

Eugenics...

Other Countries

Surrogacy, Assisted Reproduction, and COVID: Stark Problems, Underlying Concerns

By Emily Galpern | 05.27.2020

A hotel in Kyiv is currently home to more than 100 stranded babies who were born to surrogates, and whose intended parents are unable to get to them from other countries due to pandemic-related travel restrictions and closed borders. A...

Assisted Reproduction

'Perspectives' on Heritable Human Genome Editing

By Pete Shanks | 03.06.2020

'Perspectives in Biology and Medicine' recently published a Special Issue on CRISPR that is well worth an hour or two of your time.

Human Genetic Modification

Biopolitical Times

Who Among Us Is Valuable Enough to Save?

Confronting Racist Eugenics in the Pandemic

Surrogacy, Assisted Reproduction, and COVID: Stark Problems, Underlying Concerns

'Perspectives' on Heritable Human Genome Editing

Is CIRM Doomed?

Disability Rights, Triage and Countering Eugenics in a Time of Pandemic

Movie Review: Human Nature

Our Work During the COVID-19 Crisis

Social Distancing with Extra Time? Catch Up on These Free CGS Resources.

A Genetic Information Privacy Act in California

The Anglo-American Threat of a Eugenics Revival

Gene-Edited 'Haves' and 'Have-nots' at Davos