Marcy Darnovsky Ph.D.

About

Marcy Darnovsky, Ph.D., is Executive Director at the Center for Genetics and Society. She speaks and writes on the politics of human biotechnology, focusing on their social justice and public interest implications. She has appeared on television and radio, and has been cited by The New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Nature, and Chronicle of Higher Education, among others. She has taught courses in the politics of science, technology, and the environment in the Hutchins School of Liberal Studies at Sonoma State University, and in the sociology of gender at California State University Hayward. Her Ph.D. is from the History of Consciousness program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Recent Posts

“Donor” Egg Pregnancies: More of Them, New Warning of Risks

An editorial in a top medical journal warns that data on complications of egg retrieval for “donors” is missing, and prevents truly informed choices.

Confusion Reigns on Genes, Race, and Alzheimer’s

Wildly divergent headlines vividly illustrate the depth and breadth of the confusion that plagues our thinking about racial categories in genetic research.

Al Gore: Human Biotech is a "Driver of Global Change"

Al Gore believes that the challenges raised by human biotechnologies are on a par with those posed by climate change in their importance for the human future, and calls for protocols to guide decisions about human genetic modification.

Gene-ism and Mass Murder

Aside from distracting our attention from proposals for gun control, can sequencing Adam Lanza's genes do any harm? Why not give them a look?

Another Anti-Abortion Sting

An anti-choice sting operation aims to convince Americans that confronting sex selection is best done by restricting reproductive rights.

Too Posh for Pregnancy?

How many women hire surrogates because they are too busy to be pregnant or want to avoid stretch marks?

Flap Over Designer Sperm in India

An ad for sperm from “tall and fair” technology students sparks a debate in India about designer babies.

Promoting High-Tech Sex Selection

High-tech sex selection methods legitimize the practice, and serve as a rhetorical door-opener for the prospect of selecting other traits.

Surrogacy and Baby-Selling: Another Fertility Industry Scandal

Two prominent reproductive law attorneys now await sentencing after pleading guilty to charges connected with an elaborate surrogacy and baby-selling scheme. What measures will be taken by the fertility industry, policy makers, women's health advocates and others to ensure the well-being of everyone involved with assisted reproduction practices?

The Consequence of Unnatural Selection: 160 Million Missing Girls

Mara Hvistendahl's new book provides a deeper understanding of sex selection around the world and makes an urgent case for confronting it.