The article discusses the question of “security versus privacy” in terms of biometric technology as well as perinatal medicine. It does so from two different perspectives: a scientific point of view and an ethical and socio-political point of view. We argue that, on the one hand, the biometric and diagnostic methods available within the field of embryology has some considerable benefits with regard to the possible diagnosis and early treatment of diseases, offering more security for both mother and child. On the other hand however, these methods can also result in the loss of the embryo-fetus' privacy. We also discuss our proposed biometric system which is based on sequential evaluation of both the iris and the cardiovascular system from the neonatal period through adulthood.