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
A macro photo of human cells.

The Right to Design Babies? Human Rights and Bioethics

By Roberto Andorno and Alicia Ely Yamin, Open Global Rights | 01.08.2019

The gene-editing scandal that made headlines in late November, with researcher He Jiankui claiming to have created twin girls...

Genomics
Person coming out of double helix DNA strand

Is Our Future Really Written in Our Genes?

By Kevin Mitchell, Scientific American | 01.07.2019

Is our future written in our genes? Recent developments in genetics give the impression of a rapidly increasing ability to...

Genetic Selection
Blue strand of double helix DNA on black background

It’s the End of the Gene As We Know It

By Ken Richardson, Nautilus | 01.03.2019

We’ve all seen the stark headlines: “Being Rich and Successful Is in Your DNA” (Guardian, July 12); “A...

Society
Two parents holding a baby

Baby DNA tests raise as many questions as answers

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, The Washington Post | 01.03.2019

Within 24 hours of giving birth to a healthy baby girl, Lauren Stetson grappled with a dilemma: whether to enroll...

Genomics
J. Benjamin Hurlbut

Human genome editing: ask whether, not how

By J. Benjamin Hurlbut, Nature | 01.02.2019

Leaders in the scientific community are urgently seeking to set international standards for producing genetically modified humans. They are reacting...

Human Genetic Modification

From sex selection to surrogates, American IVF clinics provide services outlawed elsewhere

By Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post | 12.31.2018

Danielle Lloyd, a former Miss Great Britain and celebrity mother of four boys, wants to guarantee that her next baby...

Assisted Reproduction
Mother and child holding each other and posing in the street.

Are fertility drugs safe? The industry says yes; critics worry they’re overprescribed.

By Ariana Eunjung Cha, The Washington Post | 12.27.2018

Logan Andreotta had been told she was an ideal candidate for in vitro fertilization. Though unable to get pregnant, the...

Assisted Reproduction
A pregnant woman holding her belly.

Surrogacy Should Be Regulated, but the New Bill Falls Short

By Deepa V., Sarojini Nadimpally and Oshin Siao Bhatt, The Wire | 12.20.2018

The news of the passing of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2016 on Wednesday in the Lok Sabha prompts us to...

Policies