Going beyond questions of scientific validity, we argue that PGT-P commercialization presents a new source of stigma and pressure for parents and will widen reproductive inequalities, regardless of whether it can deliver the results that customers are seeking. Specifically, we see three immediate risks of commercialized PGT-P: (1) promotion of selective pronatalism, (2) individualization and commodification of reproduction, and (3) transformation of the moral burdens of parenthood. First, the availability of PGT-P may encourage selective pronatalism: that is, policies and discourses that encourage childbearing among specific, allegedly desirable groups.
Selective pronatalism differs from the universalist family and reproductive policies that are characteristic of most modern welfare states, such as paid parental leave or publicly funded childcare. Such policies support individuals’ reproductive choices regardless of their socioeconomic background or the characteristics of their children, and are generally justified by the idea that reproduction is a collective good. This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription Receive 12 digital issues and online access to articles Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout Henches, L. et al.
Article CAS PubMed PubMed Central Google Scholar Holmes, I., MacKay, K., McDougall, R., Scully, J. Bioethics 25, 19–31 (2025). Update 30, 529–557 (2024).
G.G.’s work was supported by the Einstein Foundation Berlin (grant EZ-2019-555-2). A.V.H.’s work was supported by the Centre for Fertility and Health, funded by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme (grant 262700). These authors contributed equally: Gaia Ghirardi, Arno Van Hootegem.
WZB Berlin Social Science Center, Berlin, Germany Einstein Center Population Diversity, Berlin, Germany Centre for Fertility and Health, Norwegian Institute for Public Health, Oslo, Norway Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA Population Research Center, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA All authors contributed to the writing and editing of this Correspondence. G.G. and A.V.H. share first authorship. The authors declare no competing interests.
Ghirardi, G., Van Hootegem, A. & Harden, K.P. Embryo screening and the new reproductive divide. Nat Hum Behav 10, 1613–1614 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02561-x DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-026-02561-x
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