Nov 25, 2024 05:33 PM
(This post was last modified: Nov 25, 2024 05:40 PM by C C.)
Silicon Valley’s tech elite want to make superbabies: Why they shouldn’t
https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/11/2...-shouldnt/
INTRO: “Pronatalist” parents like Simone and Malcolm Collins want it all: optimized babies – lots of them.
To achieve this goal, the influencer couple from Pennsylvania is using an emerging technology known as preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders, or PGT-P, to select embryos during in vitro fertilization. The Collins proudly identify as autistic, so they don’t rule out embryos they think carry a predisposition for autism. They select for traits like IQ and deselect what they call “mental health-related stuff.” Screening embryos for desirable and undesirable traits, the Collins’ say, is the first step to achieving their goal of “low-effort parenting.”
The family is part of the next boom to hit Silicon Valley: fertility tech for producing “superbabies.” High-profile tech entrepreneurs like Open AI CEO Sam Altman, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki, and billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel are backing startups with names such as Orchid Health, Gattaca Genomics, and Genomic Prediction.
These companies promise to tell prospective parents how to “mitigate more risks” and capitalize on “life’s potential.” They offer to screen embryos for multigene conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression. “It’s gonna become insane not to screen for these things,” the founder and CEO of Orchid has said.
Clinically, PGT-P has limited accuracy and utility. And concerns abound about entrepreneurs peddling snake oil, or of supporters embracing eugenics. But another drawback underlies PGT-P: the folly of parents who try to achieve total control over their children. The technology promotes a very narrow idea of health and success, and undermines the social conditions in which people reach their potential.
Silicon Valley is full of quirky and eccentric people. The ranks of tech innovators include a high number of neurodivergent people. Diversity in thought and behavior has been a net gain for technological progress. Selecting for superbabies sends a signal against such diversity.
But proponents of PGT-P aren’t as in control as they may believe... (MORE - missing details)
https://sfstandard.com/opinion/2024/11/2...-shouldnt/
INTRO: “Pronatalist” parents like Simone and Malcolm Collins want it all: optimized babies – lots of them.
To achieve this goal, the influencer couple from Pennsylvania is using an emerging technology known as preimplantation genetic testing for polygenic disorders, or PGT-P, to select embryos during in vitro fertilization. The Collins proudly identify as autistic, so they don’t rule out embryos they think carry a predisposition for autism. They select for traits like IQ and deselect what they call “mental health-related stuff.” Screening embryos for desirable and undesirable traits, the Collins’ say, is the first step to achieving their goal of “low-effort parenting.”
The family is part of the next boom to hit Silicon Valley: fertility tech for producing “superbabies.” High-profile tech entrepreneurs like Open AI CEO Sam Altman, 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki, and billionaire entrepreneur Peter Thiel are backing startups with names such as Orchid Health, Gattaca Genomics, and Genomic Prediction.
These companies promise to tell prospective parents how to “mitigate more risks” and capitalize on “life’s potential.” They offer to screen embryos for multigene conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and depression. “It’s gonna become insane not to screen for these things,” the founder and CEO of Orchid has said.
Clinically, PGT-P has limited accuracy and utility. And concerns abound about entrepreneurs peddling snake oil, or of supporters embracing eugenics. But another drawback underlies PGT-P: the folly of parents who try to achieve total control over their children. The technology promotes a very narrow idea of health and success, and undermines the social conditions in which people reach their potential.
Silicon Valley is full of quirky and eccentric people. The ranks of tech innovators include a high number of neurodivergent people. Diversity in thought and behavior has been a net gain for technological progress. Selecting for superbabies sends a signal against such diversity.
But proponents of PGT-P aren’t as in control as they may believe... (MORE - missing details)
