Family · Nationwide · August 26, 2026
The Economist Champions Embryo Screening for IQ, Height, Longevity
The British newsmagazine The Economist has published a major package of articles promoting what it calls "designer-ish babies," reported by wng.org. The reporting describes companies such as Nucleus, Orchid, and Herasight, which use IVF technology to produce multiple human embryos, then genetically screen and rank them by detected disease risk and other traits. The Economist's editorial explicitly argues couples should be able "to select embryos on the basis of both disease resistance and IQ," and notes Orchid's $50,000 service also screens for height and longevity, while Nucleus adds hair and eye color. Orchid founder Noor Siddiqui is quoted saying, "Sex is for fun; embryo screening is for babies." The current technology is described as "negative" screening — sorting existing embryos rather than engineering new traits — though the article notes researchers expect predictive scores to improve. No single U.S. location or institution is named; the story concerns an international magazine and several U.S.-based screening companies operating commercially.
Source: wng.org
Why Bible-Believing Christians Should Care
Scripture teaches that human beings are made in God's image and knit together by God himself, not assembled by consumer preference (Psalm 139; Genesis 1:27). What The Economist frames as a market innovation is, in plain terms, a eugenic sorting of human embryos by perceived genetic "quality" — including intelligence — with the embryos deemed inferior discarded. This normalizes treating nascent human life as a product to be ranked and selected rather than a person to be received. Christians should recognize that mainstream, respected outlets are now openly advocating what earlier generations recognized as eugenics, repackaged as parental empowerment. The sanctity of life and the created order of human reproduction are directly at stake, regardless of which company or country leads the way.
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made — Psalm 139:13-14
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From the book
Strategically, the family is the transmission belt of civilization. It is where identity forms, where the Imago Dei, the image of God in every person, is first encountered, and where the values of the Kingdom are modeled in daily life. Which makes the family the single greatest obstacle to any totalitarian or radical ideology. A child who learns his worth from a loving father and mother is difficult for the state to indoctrinate. A family that is spiritually and economically self-reliant is difficult for the market to manipulate.
— Chapter 18
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