These companies help parents try to pick their babies' traits. Experts are wary

May 7, 2026 - 03:12

A growing number of fertility clinics and private companies are offering prospective parents the ability to screen embryos not just for major chromosomal abnormalities, but for the statistical likelihood of developing thousands of common diseases and even certain physical or cognitive traits. The technology, often marketed as a way to give children a "healthier start," uses polygenic risk scores to estimate the probability of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, or certain cancers. Some services go further, offering predictions for height, IQ, or eye color.

While the promise of reducing suffering is appealing, medical experts and bioethicists are raising serious concerns. Critics argue that the science behind these predictions is still immature. A risk score is not a diagnosis; it is a statistical guess based on population data that may not apply to an individual embryo. selecting for complex traits like intelligence ignores the massive role of environment and upbringing. There is also the slippery slope of eugenics. If parents can afford to select for "desirable" traits, it could deepen social inequality and create a market where children are treated as products. Many worry that we are rushing into a future of designer babies without fully understanding the long-term consequences, both for the children born and for society as a whole.