Should you be able to pick your baby's genetic code?
This Is Why
Sky News
4.0 • 552 Ratings
🗓️ 27 November 2025
⏱️ 15 minutes
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Summary
A US clinic is offering would-be parents the chance to select traits like height and intelligence to "genetically optimise" their future babies on top of the usual screenings for hereditary diseases.
Critics of the start-up company have questioned the ethics of this and experts in human genetics are also questioning the science behind it.
Niall talks to Sky's science and technology editor Tom Clarke about what the concerns are.
Producer: Tom Gillespie
Editor: Wendy Parker
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Coming up, the code for life and the power to pick it. The Sky News Daily examines when genetic screening meets IVF, the new frontier in fertility science. Okay, who's all in for cancer research UK's Race for Life? We're doing pretty muddy. It's an obstacle course. There's one for kids. Runners. Walkers. Book clubbers. Nick clubbers. Temping bowlers. |
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| 1:12.2 | If you could determine your kid's future in advance, would you? |
| 1:16.2 | Well, there can't be many parents who wouldn't jump at the chance to ensure their unborn child has as long and happier life as possible. |
| 1:23.6 | Certainly, I'm in that number. |
| 1:25.7 | So perhaps the question is better put as should you. |
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