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

The Global Economy of Human Eggs: An interview with Diane Tober

By Gabriele Pichlhofer and Tino Plümecke, Guest Contributors | 03.25.2026
Biopolitical Times

A German translation of this interview will be published in May 2026 in the German GID MAGAZIN, which focuses on the market for reproductive technologies. For more information, visit: Gen-ethisches Netzwerk
 

Egg donation is currently prohibited in Germany and Switzerland, but both countries have been debating its legalization for years. In Switzerland, a legal framework is currently being developed, with a first draft expected by the end of the year. Yet the debate rarely draws on scientific evidence. Instead...

Other Countries

Surrogacy goes more mainstream

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

Aggregated News

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

Public Health, Vaccines and Modern Eugenics

By Pete Shanks | 02.27.2026
Biopolitical Times

Last month, we published “The Shameful Legacy of Tuskegee” which focused on a proposed experiment in Guinea-Bissau. The...

Bioethics

Eugenics and the Modern Synthesis, Part II

By Jessica Riskin, Los Ángeles Review of Books | 03.24.2026

Aggregated News

 

This is the second part of the 14th installment in the Legacies of Eugenics series, which features essays by...

Bioethics

Biopolitical Times

‘I didn’t come here to get rich’: new research on the lives of Ukrainian women in Georgia’s surrogacy boom

By Olga Oleinikova, Medea Badashvili, and Polina Vlasenko | 04.23.2026

“I didn’t come here to get rich. I came because I had no other way to keep my son safe...

Other Countries

Serial Entrepreneur and “Frankenstein’s” Ex Launches (Another) New Germline Editing Startup

By Pete Shanks | 03.26.2026

Cathy Tie seems to be good at starting businesses but not so dedicated to maintaining them. CGS, like many others...

Policies

The Global Economy of Human Eggs: An interview with Diane Tober

By Gabriele Pichlhofer and Tino Plümecke, Guest Contributors | 03.25.2026

A German translation of this interview will be published in May 2026 in the German GID MAGAZIN, which focuses on...

Other Countries

News

"Tecnoeugenesia", el plan dentro del movimiento neoconservador para aplicar ingeniería genética poblacional

By Miguel Muñoz, Cadena SER [cites Marcy Darnovsky] | 08.04.2026

"Para ellos, una familia numerosa no solo es una preferencia personal, sino que es una obligación. Creen que tener tantos hijos como sea posible es necesario para evitar un futuro apocalíptico", aseguraba Xavier Orri, periodista y cofundador de Página Internacional...

Genetic Selection

J. Craig Venter, Scientist Who Decoded the Human Genome, Dies at 79

By Nicholas Wade, The New York Times | 04.30.2026

“J. Craig Venter” via Wikimedia Commons licensed under CC by 2.5

J. Craig Venter, a scientist and entrepreneur who raced to decode the human genome, died on Wednesday in San Diego. He was 79.

His death was announced by...

Synthetic Biology

Natural Election

By Jonathan Basile, Los Ángeles Review of Books | 04.29.2026

WILLIAM BATESON, a foundational figure in the science of genetics at the turn of the last century, once recounted the response of a Scottish soldier to one of his public lectures: “Sir, what ye’re telling us is nothing but Scientific...

Society

Longevity Science Is Overhyped. But This Research Really Could Change Humanity.

By Susan Dominus, The New York Times Magazine | 04.27.2026

Why are babies born young? The most natural phenomenon on earth is actually hard to explain — at least on a cellular level. Consider this problem: The components of conception are old. When a woman gets pregnant, she has...

Synthetic Biology

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