Katie Hasson

Katie Hasson, PhD, writes, speaks, researches, and teaches about the social and political aspects of human genetic and reproductive technologies. Katie earned her PhD in Sociology with a Designated Emphasis in Women, Gender, and Sexuality from the University of California, Berkeley, and was previously Assistant Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at the University of Southern California.

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Publications

Magnified image of human blood cells, displayed in black and white.
By Katie Hasson, GeneWatch | 08.06.2018

A wave of controversy about reproductive gene editing gathered force in response to reports in 2015 of the first CRISPR...

Picture of DNA
By Marcy Darnovsky, Leah Lowthorp, and Katie Hasson, OpenGlobalRights | 02.15.2018

What do recent advances in molecular genetics have to do with human rights? Quite a lot, it turns out. And...

A white baby is swimming under water, with arms reaching out.
By Katie Hasson, Zócalo Public Square | 01.17.2018

When we talk about gene editing technology, we often talk about—but almost never deeply consider—the concept of designer babies. Consider...

In the News

many overlapping strands of DNA
By Anumita Kaur [cites CGS’ Katie Hasson], The Washington Post | 03.25.2025

Genetic information company 23andMe has said that it is headed to bankruptcy court, raising questions for what happens to the DNA...

superbaby graphic
By Staff [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], The New York Times Upfront | 02.17.2025

A young couple wants to have a baby, but they’re worried it’ll carry a disease that runs in the family...

crispr graphic on blue background
By Tamsin Metelerkamp [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], Daily Maverick | 11.18.2024

The National Health Research Ethics Council (NHREC) has confirmed that heritable human genome editing (HHGE) remains illegal in South Africa...

Biopolitical Times

The watchdog group Public Citizen published a report on October 19 titled Pfizer’s Power. It is a devastating indictment...

An organization of scientists is recommending that limitations on several experimental and controversial research procedures – including heritable genome editing...