Genetic Crossroads

The intersection of biotechnology, reproduction and society.

by The Center for Genetics and Society

Another Anti-Abortion Sting

An anti-choice sting operation aims to convince Americans that confronting sex selection is best done by restricting reproductive rights. Read More

Illegal Surrogacy Operation the "Tip of the Iceberg"

The accomplices in the surrogacy scandal have been sentenced. What have we learned about preventing further abuses in the surrogacy industry? Read More

Assisted Reproduction Technologies on Glee and Modern Family

This month’s episodes of Glee and Modern Family—two of the most popular prime time television shows—featured central characters contemplating assisted reproductive technologies. Read More

Too Posh for Pregnancy?

How many women hire surrogates because they are too busy to be pregnant or want to avoid stretch marks? Read More

Flap Over Designer Sperm in India

An ad for sperm from “tall and fair” technology students sparks a debate in India about designer babies. Read More

A fluffy TV show about three people who paid a fortune to have their former dogs cloned obscured the real harm that the process does, ignoring the suffering of animals and exploiting the grief of the well-meaning but deluded owners. Read More

Genetic Discrimination and Ron Paul

An article that apppeared earlier this week in Canada's The Globe and Mail offered a firsthand account of what genetic discrimination looks like: Read More

An Interesting Weekend on the Perils of Building Better Humans

Last weekend offered an interesting conversation on past and more modern attempts at building better humans, which might ultimately say something interesting about our human future. Read More

Free Rudy! The Cosby Show and the Genetics of ‘Eating Your Vegetables’

Writing for the UK Guardian, Anna Perman offers an explanation for why some people love Brussels sprouts while others find them despicable. Read More

Sex Selection Game-Changer? New Fetal Gene Test Reveals Sex at 7 Weeks

New non-invasive prenatal testing will enable parents to know a fetus's sex, Down's status, and possibly other traits dramatically earlier in a pregnancy. Read More

Dystopian "In Time" and Inequalities in Our Time

The dystopian future of Andrew Niccol's new film, In Time, resonates with current inequalities. Read More

Genetic Testing for Down Syndrome: What It Can and Cannot Tell You

Sequenom's new genetic test predicts the presence of Down syndrome at an earlier stage in pregnancy, but parents need more information to accompany the diagnosis. Read More

Moral Obligations for Thee but Not for Me?

Calls for the general public to volunteer for clinical trials sit strangely with the behavior of some pharmaceutical companies and physicians. Read More

Visa Wants to Make Money Off Your DNA

Visa has filed a patent application for a process that would use, among other sources, DNA databases to identify potential advertising targets. Read More

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Dinosaur? Think Again

Paleontologist John Horner wants to create a living dinosaur by “reverse evolving” the chicken. Read More

Promoting High-Tech Sex Selection

High-tech sex selection methods legitimize the practice, and serve as a rhetorical door-opener for the prospect of selecting other traits. Read More

What’s in a Number? One Donor and 150+ OffSpring

Large numbers of children born from one sperm donor raise troubling concerns, but there are bigger issues at stake that the numbers alone do not capture. Read More

Sperm Donor Siblings: Family Trees, Invisible Roots

Tuesday's New York Times piece "One Sperm Donor, 150 Offspring" was an eye-opener about the transformation of family relationships and responsibilities in the age of reproductive biotech. It describes how some fertility clinics use sperm from "popular" donors over and over again to conceive, in one case, as many as 150 related offspring. Read More

Surrogacy and Baby-Selling: Another Fertility Industry Scandal

Two prominent reproductive law attorneys now await sentencing after pleading guilty to charges connected with an elaborate surrogacy and baby-selling scheme. What measures will be taken by the fertility industry, policy makers, women's health advocates and others to ensure the well-being of everyone involved with assisted reproduction practices? Read More

Promoting a Genetic Basis for Crime

An article in the New York Times celebrates a misguided trend toward genetic explanations for crime, even though the experts quoted cite the importance of the social context. Read More

The Consequence of Unnatural Selection: 160 Million Missing Girls

Mara Hvistendahl's new book provides a deeper understanding of sex selection around the world and makes an urgent case for confronting it. Read More

Honorary Degree For Henrietta Lacks

Henrietta Lacks, whose cancerous tumor cells become a cornerstone of modern biomedical research, has been granted a posthumous honorary degree by Morgan State University. Read More

Advertising As Threat: Will Your Kid Die From Exercise?

A gene test is being marketed to parents with the scare claim that some over-exercised kids might die. The FDA is investigating, but the company is trying to keep its product on the market. Read More

Another Expansion of DNA Databases: South Korea Collects DNA from Labor Unionists

South Korea is expanding its DNA database to include labor activists, which is proving controversial, while the US and other countries try to define the scope of their own. Read More

Media Passes Gene Test, Some Parents Flunk

A new study of parents who are interested in having their childrens' genes tested has raised concerns among pediatricians. The benefits of the tests may be illusory, and there is a risk that parents may misinterpret the results. So the doctors definitely need to teach themselves, so they can teach their patients. Read More