Doctors are close to making the first baby with three parents following a historic change in the law.
A new legislation has made Britain the first country to sanction the creation of children that effectively have two genetic mothers and a father.
It allows doctors to use a complex form of IVF to prevent devastating illnesses caused by faults in mitochondria – the tiny ‘engine rooms’ that power the cells in the body.
The technique, which was developed at Newcastle University, involves swapping a mother-to-be’s diseased mitochondria with healthy ones from an egg donated by another woman.
Supporters say it will allow families blighted by an incurable disease the chance of having a healthy child.
The Newcastle University researchers say the technique has the power to transform lives and it is crucial that families are able to use it.
They are preparing to apply to the fertility watchdog, the Human Fertilisation & Embryology Authority, for a permission to create the first baby.
But critics argue that genetically engineering eggs crosses a critical ethical line and argue that it is impossible to know if the technique is safe.
Andrea Williams, of Christian Concern, said Britain will be ‘embarking on a mass genetic experiment’.
She added: ‘We have set out on a dangerous path, on which “designer babies” and even eugenics could prove to be much closer than we pretend.
‘We are “playing God”, undermining the very pattern for family and human dignity that God has
given to us.’
The HFEA said that despite the change in the law, more research is necessary before it will consider granting permission for the first treatment.
Source- Daily Mail
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