Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry DEBATE: Is it wrong to handpick your baby's genes?
Feb 15, 2026
Emma Waters, a policy analyst focused on family and biotech policy, and Jonathan Anomaly, a philosopher and author on genetic enhancement, spar over polygenic embryo screening. They explain how the technology works and debate scientific limits. They argue about moral status, the ethics of selecting or discarding embryos, potential social harms, inequality, and who might benefit most.
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From IVF To Polygenic Scores
- Jonathan traces the history from IVF to PGTA/PGTM and then to polygenic risk scores after the Human Genome Project.
- He explains how cheaper sequencing, big biobanks and machine learning made polygenic embryo screening possible.
Require Transparency From Providers
- Demand transparency and validation from companies offering polygenic embryo screening, especially across ancestry groups.
- Jonathan advocates consumer expectations or rules requiring clear performance data before clinical use.
Gradualist View On Moral Status
- Jonathan Anomaly argues moral status depends on features like sentience and sapience, not merely human DNA, favouring a gradualist view.
- He allows embryos symbolic value but differentiates them from fetuses and persons with fuller moral status.
