What does a parent owe their child?

Genetic screening technologies in IVF present complex ethical dilemmas regarding the extent of a parent's obligation to their child. While simple tests like PGTA identify chromosomal conditions, emerging polygenic testing attempts to predict complex traits like IQ, mental health, and disease risk, often with limited scientific certainty and misleading statistical claims. These technologies risk commodifying children and entrenching social inequality, as wealthy parents may gain access to "optimized" offspring. Instead of pursuing moral optimization, which often leads to anxiety and shame, parents should adopt a "satisficing" framework—prioritizing the prevention of debilitating conditions like Tay-Sachs while resisting the pressure to engineer traits. Ultimately, the desire to select for the "best" child ignores the inherent value of diverse human experiences and the reality that many conditions exist on a continuum rather than as binary outcomes.