UK IVF couples use legal loophole to rank embryos based on potential IQ, height and health

In the UK, tests performed on embryos are legally restricted to a list of serious health conditions, such as Huntington’s, sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis. Photograph: Dean Lewins/AAP

Couples undergoing IVF in the UK are exploiting an apparent legal loophole to rank their embryos based on genetic predictions of IQ, height and health, the Guardian has learned.

The controversial screening technique, which scores embryos based on their DNA, is not permitted at UK fertility clinics and critics have raised scientific and ethical objections, saying the method is unproven. But under data protection laws, patients can – and in some cases have – demanded their embryos’ raw genetic data and sent it abroad for analysis in an effort to have smarter, healthier children.