Some of Our Favorite 2025 Blog Posts
Following a long-standing CGS tradition, we present a selection of our favorite Biopolitical Times posts of the past year.
In 2025, we published up to four posts every month, written by 12 authors (staff, consultants and allies), some in collaboration and one simply credited to CGS.
These titles are presented in chronological order, except for three In Memoriam notices, which follow. Many more posts that are worth your time can be found in the archive. Scroll down and “VIEW MORE” as needed — or use the “Advanced options” in the search function to select by Content Type &/or Date.
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A Pronatalist Vision of Humanity’s Future
Shrese | January 25
For those wondering what kind of world pronatalists are trying to build, one of the principal public proponents of pronatalism, Simone Collins, sums it up in a recent video: “We’re elitist and we believe in genes.”
Gene Therapy Ups and Downs
Katie Hasson | February 26
Recent media coverage of gene therapies reveals the disconnects between the promise of revolutionary treatments, the real difference gene therapies have made in the lives of some patients, and the lack of a clear path to profitability in investors’ eyes.
Stumbling Toward the End of an Era
Pete Shanks | March 25
After almost 20 years of publicity stunts and dubious claims, we may have reached the end of 23andMe. The company's bankruptcy leaves the fate of its DNA database––and all its customers’ data––uncertain.
Sociogenomics and Polygenic Scores
Wehling, Plümecke, and Bartram | March 25
A start-up promises to use genomic tests to select the ‘most intelligent’ embryos. What might sound like pseudoscientific nonsense is only the tip of the iceberg of current research into the genetic prediction of social characteristics.
A Deeper Dive Into the Colossal Furor,
Pete Shanks | April 23
Is the dire wolf “de-extinction” effort a colossal waste of time? Billionaire biotech backers seem intent on funding a gene-editing revolution that threatens animals and humans alike.
Fourth International Summit on Genome Editing Emphasizes Ethical and Societal Concerns
CGS | May 29
The Global Observatory for Genome Editing’s international summit featured discussions of the potential social and eugenic consequences of heritable genome editing. CGS Associate Director Katie Hasson and a CGS side event focused on the importance of including civil society advocates representing social justice and human rights perspectives.
The tech billionaires and rogue scientists moving to commercialize CRISPR babies
Marcy Darnovsky June 26
Several private companies explicitly aim to create genetically modified children. This new and more alarming phase of biotechnology misuse requires renewed resistance.
The Post-Human Games
Pete Shanks | June 26
Steroids in sports have been banned for decades, but transhumanists and biohackers, with the support of Peter Thiel and other Silicon Valley venture capitalists, are still trying to make the “Enhanced Games” happen.
New Guidelines on Trisomy 13 and 18 Promote Nuanced Care Decisions
Matteo Zumbano | August 13
New guidelines from the American Academy for Pediatrics mark a welcome shift away from ableist assumptions about children with trisomy 13 and trisomy 18. The guidelines support individually tailored and accessible care and counseling for their families.
A New Eugenics Gold Rush? From designer babies to not-quite-designer jeans
Katie Hasson | August 21
From designer babies to designer(-ish) jeans, it seems we’re now on the verge of a eugenics gold rush. Strong regulation based in social justice values is needed to push back on companies attempting to cash in on “better babies” and a genetically engineered future.
Can Trump’s IVF Policies Please His Pronatalist Base?
Emma McDonald Kennedy | September 25
Silicon Valley types embrace IVF and polygenic risk scores, while Christian conservatives reject IVF altogether in favor of “restorative reproductive medicine.” Their debate entirely sidelines important questions about how IVF should be regulated.
Silicon Valley’s race to produce genetically engineered humans
Katie Hasson | November 21
Several recent Biopolitical Times posts have called attention to the alarmingly rapid commercialization of “designer baby” technologies: polygenic embryo screening, in vitro gametogenesis and heritable genome editing.
In Memoriam
Remembering George Annas (1945-2025)
A prolific speaker, writer, and scholar of health law, whose legacy includes over 20+ years of collaboration with CGS to oppose heritable genome editing and voice concerns about the eugenic risks of reprogenetic technologies.
Marcy Darnovsky | June 17
James Watson (1928–2025)
The cumulative controversies resurfaced by Watson’s death may destroy what is left of his scientific reputation, or perhaps he’ll be seen as the truth-teller he thought he was by elements of an increasingly sexist and racist society.
Pete Shanks | November 18
Remembering Disability Justice Warrior Alice Wong (1974–2025)
Founder of the Disability Visibility Project, MacArthur Genius, liberationist, storyteller, writer, and friend of CGS, Alice was an important voice in the disability justice movement. She critiqued ableism and vocally opposed heritable genome editing.
Emily Galpern | November 20