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After discussions that were at times “downright painful, uncomfortable,” says co-PI Erik Parens, an ethicist at Hastings, the panel saw value in assigning genetic scores to certain behavioral traits in individual populations.

Michele Goodwin: If we’re to understand the history of the parens patriae authority that the state has, we could look back to 1905 and the Supreme Court’s ruling in Jacobson v.

The government also said the states lacked power to sue under a doctrine known as “parens patriae,” Latin for “parent of the nation,” because it allegedly would not protect children from harm.

Under the legal doctrine called “parens patriae” — parent of the nation — states, in a wide swath of cases, often assume the role of vindicating the interests of vulnerable citizens.

But that law is in opposition to the “parens patriae” theory, a centuries-old principle that empowers the state to look after the interests of children and others unable to care for themselves.