In most of the industrialised world it is legal to test IVF embryos for certain genetic conditions such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease and Down's syndrome.
However, California has not introduced regulations that ban selecting for an embryo's sex or other traits, as many other jurisdictions have, which leaves doctors able to offer embryo screening and selection for nonmedical reasons.
Megan Agnew discusses the implications in this article in the Sunday Times.
