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

Scientists plan to drop the 14-day embryo rule, a key limit on stem cell research

By Antonio Regalado, MIT Technology Review | 03.16.2021

In 2016, Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz grew human embryos in a lab dish for longer than anyone had before. Bathing the tiny...

Assisted Reproduction

The Threat That CRISPR Poses to Disabled People

By Sandy Sufian, BRINK | 03.15.2021

^{Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash}

The gene-editing technology CRISPR promises enormous potential as a therapeutic for curing illnesses, including...

Society

Florida considers banning abortions for women who have fetuses with disabilities

By News Service of Florida, Sun Sentinel | 03.12.2021

TALLAHASSEE — A House panel Thursday backed a bill that would prevent doctors from performing abortions that women seek because...

Policies

Can China’s New Criminal Law Deter the Next He Jiankui?

By Shao Bowen, Sixth Tone | 03.12.2021

The latest edition of China’s criminal law formally came into effect March 1. The updated code includes a range of ...

Animal Biotechnologies

World at ‘peak twin’ as birth rates reach historic high, study finds

By Ian Sample, The Guardian | 03.11.2021

^{Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash}

Twins may be more common today than at any time in history, according to...

Assisted Reproduction

UC Davis: First clinical trial of stem cells to treat spina bifida

By David Jensen, Capitol Weekly | 03.10.2021

^{Photo by Satheesh Sankaran on Unsplash}

Backed by $17 million in cash from California’s stem cell agency, researchers at UC...

Human Genetic Modification

CRISPR Could Switch Off Chronic Pain Without Opioids

By Emily Mullin, Future Human | 03.10.2021

In 2006, scientists described the curious case of a Pakistani boy who seemed immune to pain. The 10-year-old street performer...

Animal Biotechnologies

Viral vector unlikely to be cause of leukemia in gene therapy patient

By Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | 03.10.2021

^{Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash}

Gene therapy researchers are breathing easier after a company reported today that the modified...

Human Genetic Modification