The UK Government has announced its decision to press ahead with proposals to allow a controversial IVF technique that will result in the creation of children with three genetic parents.
Draft regulations
Ministers will publish draft legislation later this year and Parliament is expected to debate and vote on the proposals in 2014.
The technique, known as “mitochondria replacement therapy”, can only be used for research purposes under current legislation, and involves transferring both parents’ DNA into a donor egg.
Supporters of the therapy claim that it will stop genetic diseases being passed down from mothers to their children through faulty mitochondria, structures which supply power to cells.
Heavy criticism
But the treatment has been heavily criticised for raising serious ethical concerns since any child born using the technique will effectively have three, instead of two, genetic parents.
Concerns have also been raised that the technique will result in the permanent alteration of the human genome, and any unexpected genetic problems will be passed down to future generations.
Unsafe
Dr David King, the director of Human Genetics Alert, said: “These techniques are unnecessary and unsafe and were in fact rejected by the majority of consultation responses.
“It is a disaster that the decision to cross the line that will eventually lead to a eugenic designer baby market should be taken on the basis of an utterly biased and inadequate consultation.”
Designer babies
Earlier this year, 40 ethicists wrote a letter to The Guardian warning of the possibility of creating genetically modified children in the future should proposals pass into law.
It said: “We believe the benefits to a small number of parents are heavily outweighed by the risks to the child and to society. This would be the first instance of regulatory approval for modification of the human germ line. There is a long-standing international consensus that we should not cross this ethical line, since it is likely to lead to a future of genetically modified 'designer' babies.”
Voted down
Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics, said she hopes the proposal will be “voted down” by MPs when it is debated in Parliament.
She said: “This controversial announcement – presented simply as innovative genetic treatment when it is in effect an endorsement of highly contentious germ line modification of the human embryo – is hardly unexpected, given the enthusiasm already shown by both the Nuffield Council (on Bioethics) and the HFEA.
“Our focus now turns to Parliament, where we hope that the proposals to create three-parent embryos will be voted down.”
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