We know that for every child there are two parents – a father and a mother. Well, modern Medicine is moving from there to making a child from three parents – a father and two mothers. The idea came about in the minds of medical experts as a solution to a disease of the mitochondria that does not allow children of mothers who suffer it to survive. Mitochondria are the energy producing organelles of living cells.
In the procedure, the DNA of the woman with
mitochondrial disease with that of her husband is combined with that of the
donor woman who has healthy mitochondria. This results in a baby with 0.1% of
their DNA from the donor woman. This will remain a permanent change passed down
the child’s generations. The procedure is said to be a modified version of In
Vivo Fertilization (IVF).
According to the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),
the British Parliament voted in favour of the development with 382 votes for
and 128 against, and Sharon Bernadi, a woman said to have lost her seven
children to mitochondrial disease, was the most happy. Commenting, the British
Prime Minister, David Cameron, said, “We’re not playing god here; we’re just
making sure that two parents who want a healthy baby can have one.”
An ethical issue that arises from this is: Who can
be considered the real mother of the living child? Other questions can be
asked. Your reactions are welcome.
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