News

Surrogacy goes more mainstream

By Carly Mallenbaum, Axios [cites Emily Galpern] | 03.29.2026

More Americans are turning to surrogacy to build their families, as the practice becomes more common and more publicly discussed.

Why it matters: As surrogacy becomes more visible and accessible, ethical, legal and cultural tensions become harder to ignore...

U.S. Federal

Eugenics and the Modern Synthesis, Part I

By Jessica Riskin, Los Ángeles Review of Books | 03.23.2026

This is the first part of the 14th installment in the Legacies of Eugenics series, which features essays by leading thinkers devoted to exploring the history of eugenics and the ways it shapes our present. The series is organized by...

Civil Society

Surrogacy laws are all over the map

By Carly Mallenbaum, Axios [cites Surrogacy360] | 03.29.2026

Without a federal law, surrogacy in the U.S. is governed by a patchwork of state regulations/

Why it matters: Confusing...

Policies

Project Eugenics: The Rollback of Disability Rights

By Kiana Jackson and Shannon Stubblefield, New Disabled South | 02.09.2026

^{"MC0_8230" via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC by 2.0}

This report documents a deliberate assault on disabled people in...

U.S. States

Wrestling with the Legacy of Eugenics

By Jennifer Rainey Marquez, Georgia State University Research Magazine | 02.08.2022

A century ago, the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a decision that legal scholars generally consider to be among the...

U.S. States

More than half the country has laws that allow forced sterilizations: new report

By Shirin Ali, The Hill | 02.07.2022

A new report is highlighting forced sterilization laws across the U.S. and how the practice specifically affects disabled people, taking away...

U.S. States

Top White House scientist resigns after review finds he demeaned staff

By Tyler Pager, The Washington Post | 02.07.2022

^{"Keynote speaker Eric Lander 1" by afagen

is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0}

Eric Lander, President Biden’s top science...

Genomics

Disabled activist speaks out about feeling ‘disposable’ during pandemic

By Rachel Scheier, San Francisco Chronicle | 02.05.2022

^{Alice Wong, activist, research consultant and media maker}

In early January, one of the country’s top public health officials...

Media Coverage

With CRISPR gene editing, unique treatments begin to take off for rare diseases

By Meeri Kim, The Washington Post | 02.05.2022

Paddy Doherty remembers his father as a proud, hard-working family man who stayed physically fit for most of his life...

Human Genetic Modification

Ideology as Biology

By Mark Borrello and David Sepkoski, The New York Review | 02.05.2022

^{"E.O. Wilson 5" by afagen is

licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0}

The death of renowned biologist Edward O. Wilson in...

Society

New CRISPR patent hearing continues high-stakes legal battle

By Jon Cohen, Science | 02.04.2022

Another showdown in the seemingly endless patent battle over who invented CRISPR, the genome editor that has revolutionized biology, took...

Human Genetic Modification

Closeup of an eye being analyzed by biometric technology

History offers a cautionary tale for biometric covid tracking systems

By Michelle Spektor, The Washington Post | 02.03.2022

Places around the world are using biometric technologies for coronavirus contact tracing and surveillance. For example, a municipality in South...

Eugenics