New Scientist magazine urges "serious debate" about ethics of 3-parent baby plan
Published: September 26th, 2014
The New Scientist magazine has warned that the UK must have a "serious debate about the ethics" of its proposals to introduce a new IVF technique the will result in the creation of children with three parents.
Currently, the technique - known as “mitochondria replacement therapy” - can only be used for research purposes, and involves transferring both parents’ DNA into a donor egg.
The magazine's editorial says the proposals raise the "ethically troubling" prospect, once widely dismissed, that children conceived through the procedure will "inherit vital traits from three parents."
It highlights that proponents often argue that the role of mitochondria is limited to producing energy, and that they exert no influence on appearance, personality, intelligence or other human attributes that we value.
It notes however that "we may have seriously underestimated the influence that mitochondria have" in light of new research which "suggests that they play a key role in some of the most important features of human life."
"But the emerging science and the issues it raises have not had a proper airing. They urgently need to be brought to parliament's attention, debated and settled before a decision is made," it says.
