In a press release announcing the patent, 23andMe explained that since filing the patent five years ago, its strategic focus has changed and it no longer has plans to implement the technology in fertility clinics as a donor-selection tool.
The genetics community has still issued pleas to the company, urging it not to develop any donor-selection services. The Center for Genetics and Society said this was a misstep on the part of the patent office.
“It amounts to shopping for designer donors in an effort to produce designer babies,” CGS executive director Marcy Darnovsky said. “We believe the patent office made a serious mistake in allowing a patent that includes drop-down menus from which to choose a future child’s traits,” she continued, adding that 23andMe now has a duty to use this patent as a way to prevent other companies from implementing this technology in fertility clinics.
Source: Huffington Post
