The US startup ‘Heliospect’ has been thrown into the limelight for offering couples the chance to screen embryos for high IQ if they have $50,000 (£38,000) to spare. Embryonic screening is a moral and ethical minefield that raises questions around ‘superior’ and ‘inferior’ genetics as well as medical implications.
While embryonic screening for intelligence is not permitted under UK law, it is much less regulated in the US, meaning that companies like Heliospect can offer their services more easily. According to undercover footage shot by the campaign group Hope Not Hate and sent to The Guardian, the start-up is charging an extortionate amount for the chance to handpick embryos for high IQ, as well as qualities such as the reduced chance of obesity, acne, and other ‘undesirable traits’. The start-up is not yet openly advertising their services widely, meaning that this issue has not been given the chance to be debated as some might argue it should be - especially from the general public.
