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Is embryo selection eugenics?

  • Stephen McBride
  • Aug 12
  • 1 min read

Is selecting embryos to avoid devastating diseases the same thing as eugenics?

 

Jonathan Anomaly of Herasight says no—and the data behind his argument might change your mind.

 

In this episode of Optimists Make Money, we go inside the world of embryo selection and polygenic risk scoring—the technology letting parents assess real disease risk (schizophrenia, diabetes, certain cancers) in embryos during IVF, before a pregnancy even begins.

 

I recently caught up with Jonathan to dig into the taboo head-on:

 

Click the image to watch my interview with Jonathan Anomaly. 
Click the image to watch my interview with Jonathan Anomaly. 

In our interview you’ll hear:

 

  • How polygenic risk scores are calculated from biobank data

  • Why embryo selection for disease risk is legal in the US but restricted in the UK

  • Where Jonathan thinks the eugenics comparison breaks down

  • What's next for genetic screening technology in IVF

  • The line between disease prevention and trait selection

 


—Stephen McBride

 

Stephen McBride is a co-founder of the Rational Optimist Society.

 

 
 
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