The Center for Genetics and Society brings social justice and human rights to the center of public and policy discussions about human genetics and assisted reproduction.

Featured

Bay Area Startups Want to Make Genetically Engineered Babies. What Could Go Wrong?

By Grace Won, KQED Forum [with CGS' Katie Hasson] | 12.02.2025

Aggregated News

In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first...

Genetic Selection

Silicon Valley’s race to produce genetically engineered humans

By Katie Hasson | 11.21.2025
Biopolitical Times

Several recent Biopolitical Times posts (1, 2, 3, 4) have called attention to the alarmingly rapid commercialization of “designer baby” technologies: polygenic embryo screening (especially its use to purportedly screen for traits like intelligence), in vitro gametogenesis (lab-made eggs and sperm), and heritable genome editing (also termed embryo editing or reproductive gene editing). Those three, together with artificial wombs, have been dubbed the “Gattaca stack” by Brian Armstrong, CEO of the cryptocurrency company...

Genetic Selection

Remembering Disability Justice Warrior Alice Wong

By Emily Galpern | 11.20.2025
Biopolitical Times

Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project, MacArthur Genius, liberationist, storyteller, writer, and friend of CGS, died...

Arts & Culture

Developments in gene-editing technology raise new ethical questions

By [cites CGS' Katie Hasson], KCBS Radio | 11.19.2025

Aggregated News

This is Ask An Expert, where every weekday at 9:20am, KCBS Radio is giving you direct access to top experts...

U.S. Federal

Biopolitical Times

Good Trouble

By Pete Shanks | 12.18.2025

A Review of Exposed by Becky McClain

“Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic...

Society

Silicon Valley’s race to produce genetically engineered humans

By Katie Hasson | 11.21.2025

Several recent Biopolitical Times posts (1, 2, 3, 4) have called attention to the alarmingly...

Genetic Selection

Remembering Disability Justice Warrior Alice Wong

By Emily Galpern | 11.20.2025

Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project, MacArthur Genius, liberationist, storyteller, writer, and friend of CGS, died...

Arts & Culture

News

They Answered an Ad for Surrogates, and Found Themselves in a Nightmare

By Sarah A. Topol, The New York Times Magazine | 12.14.2025

The women in House 3 rarely had a chance to speak to the women in House 5, but when they did, the things they heard scared them. They didn’t actually know where House 5 was, only that it was huge...

Other Countries

The Chinese Billionaires Having Dozens of U.S.-Born Babies Via Surrogate

By Katherine Long, Ben Foldy, and Lingling Wei, The Wall Street Journal | 12.13.2025

Inside a closed Los Angeles courtroom, something wasn’t right. 

Clerks working for family court Judge Amy Pellman were reviewing routine surrogacy petitions when they spotted an unusual pattern: the same name, again and again. 

A Chinese billionaire was seeking parental...

U.S. Federal

A Golden State Research Sidestep: California's Stem Cell/Gene Therapy Agency Goes for $207 Million More in Training

By David Jensen, The California Stem Cell Report | 12.11.2025

California’s stem cell and gene therapy agency today approved spending $207 million more on training and education, sidestepping the possibility of using the cash to directly support revolutionary research that has been slashed and endangered by the Trump administration.

Directors...

Stem Cells

Tech Titans Investing Millions to Create Genetically Engineered Babies

By Tina Stevens, CounterPunch | 12.11.2025

Silicon Valley and other high tech billionaires are investing millions in start-ups dedicated to creating genetically engineered (GE) babies, according to a recent Wall Street Journal (WSJ) report. AI mogul Sam Altman, cryptocurrency entrepreneur Brian Armstrong, venture capitalist Peter...

Patents & Other IP

Video
Reproduction and Family Formation: The State and the Market
Use Gene Editing to Make Better Babies | Debate | Intelligence Squared U.S.
The 'Perfect' Baby?: The Dangers of Gene Editing in Assisted Reproduction