Summary
Some bioethicists worry that the easy availability of IVG could usher in a new era of eugenics, scenarios where prospective parents could create large numbers of embryos and use genetic tools to select the “best” one. IVG also raises the specter of nonconsensual parenthood — something most state laws are currently ill-equipped to handle.
“Should this become clinically available, there will be legitimate questions — about whose cells can be used and under what conditions — that will need regulatory answers,” said Hank Greely, director of the Stanford Center for Law and Bioscience, whose book, “The End of Sex,” examines the future of in vitro gametogenesis. “Will that happen? We don’t know. But Mitalipov has certainly proven himself a bold and creative scientist, and from my perspective, having his group join the effort to help people who want to have genetic babies but can’t is a good thing, provided they can do it safely and effectively.”
Read More