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UK IVF couples use legal loophole to rank embryos based on potential IQ, height and health
(www.theguardian.com)
this post was submitted on 06 Dec 2025
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Oh neat, eugenics
Sometimes I do think it's a shame. We as a species could end genetic disease within 1 generation. We could have a smart, stronger, kinder, and ultimately healthier humanity.
But we aren't ready for it. Any attempt would be forced. Any attempt would get tainted immediately by racism, religion, nationalism, etc.
Sometimes it makes me sad to think of the potential of technology and how we'll likely never be able to use it ethically or responsibly
There is a strong possibility we would also get it wrong. Diversity is a strength. Who knows what tomorrow brings.
I get where you're coming from, but the percentage of our genome needing to change to greatly improve the species is less than you'd think
This is asinine. Diversity is a strength, that doesn't mean that horrific genetic diseases that cause enormous pain and suffering are.
Eh, don't be rude. You are likely thinking of single gene mutations or other clear well defined problems.
My mind was more on polygenic diseases or genes with variable expressiveness. Where humans being humans we target things where we don't completely understand the outcomes.
We screen for chromosomal abnormalities I don't have a problem with that for example.
Were it so easy. Sickle cell disease also conveys resistance to malaria
Yes, congratulations. Can you name a benefit of having the BRCA mutation?
If you had it, and you gave it to your daughter, how would you tell them that they have cancer because you thought the idea of using IVF to select against it was icky?
Yes. Tumors get suppressed.
That is what the gene does, the mutation does the opposite and causes massively increased rates of breast and ovarian cancer.
The fact it is so prevalent in the gene pool suggests there may be some benefit we are unaware of. Further study is needed.
Edit: and it doesn't 'cause', it puts you 'at risk for'.
Evolution doesn't create perfect.
Evolution favors whatever traits are passed on. If you live long enough to reproduce then mission accomplished. Your quality of life leading up to that doesn't matter as long as you survive long enough to do the deed
No it doesn't. That's not how evolution works. It is not perfect, it does not march towards good, it rolls random die and sees if that leads to having kids or not. If you get old enough to have kids and have them procreate it very much stops caring.
And I said that the mutation causes massive increases in the rate of breast cancer. Which it does. Read more carefully if you're going to try to be pedantic.
Note that this is also the argument in favor of giving all the kids malaria. Everyone gets it without intervention, so it must be useful. Sure some people have a really really bad time, but....
No. No it isn't, and I hope you actually understand that.
I welcome learning where the 2 arguments separate. The more I think on it, the less I suspect there's a good one.
It's already starting to happen and it's not this crazy mass casualty event you make it out to be.
People regularly do IVF and screen out embryos that have inherited horrific genetic diseases, or say, genes that they know make highly susceptible to cancer.
It doesn't mean it will inherently lead to a slippery slope. This article is literally about how the UK needs to update its laws to prevent people from getting IVF done there but getting the genetic analysis done elsewhere and then ranking their options based on that to avoid the UKs current laws that would prevent a UK clinic from ranking them like that.
You misunderstand, to have an impact species wide it would be a "mass casuality" event. What's being done with IVF is too insignificant to the entire gene pool to cure us of genetic based disease or any of the other positives
Home grown, local eugenics.
Kinda like how picking who to marry is also eugenics.
If you pick your spouse specifically because of your prospective offsprings traits then yes, but that's not exactly why everyone gets married.
Genetic traits explains a fair amount of physical attraction.
Which is one of many aspects of romantic attraction.
Well, slightly outsourced, but as long as the loophole persists, it could be fully local.