Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali has issued a strong warning against legalising IVF treatment that would result in three-parent babies ahead of a crucial vote in the House of Commons today (3 FEB).
Writing in the Telegraph, the bishop, who is a former chair of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority’s ethics committee, asks: “Are three-parent embryos or three-person IVF really the way forward?”
No cure
He argues against the idea that the treatment - known as mitochondrial replacement therapy - is a cure for hereditary diseases.
“The new techniques may prevent babies being born with mitochondrial disease but they will not cure those who have been born already. Moreover, babies will continue to be born with these conditions since parents will not always know of the risk until the first baby is born.”
Public opposition
Bishop Nazir-Ali also points out the strong public opposition to these measures, saying: “The Government’s own consultation reveals considerable public hostility to the procedure, as do opinion polls.”
His comments on public opinion coincide with the results of a poll released yesterday (2 FEB) by CARE, which found that just 10 per cent think the government is right to push the controversial IVF regulations through parliament.
Risks
In his article, Bishop Nazir-Ali flags up other serious concerns including ethical considerations and the possible future impact of the technology. He writes:
“We need to remember that an ethical boundary is being crossed. The proposed technology will interfere with and change the germ-line forever. This is breaking an international consensus that genetic engineering should not be used to modify human eggs or sperm in such a way as to alter the characteristics of future children.
“No other country has legalised this procedure for ethical reasons.
“As both the responses of scientists and of the churches have pointed out, we simply do not know the risks involved in this kind of interference in the germ line.
“Will children be able, in future, to ask for the identity of the "second mother"? Will donors be able to know the identity of children they help bring to birth?”
Read more about CARE’s poll and public opposition >
Related Links:
Three-parent babies: an ethical boundary is being crossed (Telegraph)