Photo: Alamy
Britain is on course to become the first country in the world to legalise the creation of IVF babies with three biological “parents” after the fertility watchdog announced that the public is in favour of the controversial technology.
A major consultation found that a majority of people would back the therapy, under which a small part of a mother’s genetic material is swapped with that of a healthy donor to eliminate the risk of passing on a host of hereditary diseases to her child.
By removing faulty DNA from the mitochondria, which is always inherited from the mother, experts believe the child and future generations could be spared from a collection of devastating conditions affecting the heart, muscles and brain.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised the government that there is “general support” for the treatment and there is no scientific evidence to suggest it is unsafe.
Although many people registered ethical concerns about the process, most of those who responded to the consultation said it was justified if further tests prove the technique is safe and can eliminate the risk of genetic conditions like muscular dystrophy.
The Department of Health, which ordered the consultation last year, must now decide whether to make Britain the first country in the world to permit the treatment, paving the way for its use in clinics.
The Telegraph has the full article
