Three-Parent Babies May Soon be Allowed in Britain

Britain could be the first country to authorize the creation of babies from three biological parents.

That is to say, officials in the British government are considering the merits of an in vitro fertilization process in which the nucleus from an unfertilized or recently fertilized egg is removed and implanted into an egg from another donor.

The baby would inherit the nuclear DNA from its mother and father but obtain its mitochondria from a third person and, as scientists say, would be spared many of the ailments caused by a faulty mitochondria, biological structures what supply cells with energy.

The treatment, reports the BBC, was pioneered by researchers at Newcastle University in Scotland.

Researchers explain that although nearly 99 percent of DNA is held within the nucleus of a human cell, a small fraction including the mitochondria is located elsewhere.

In many instances, a mother many have a small number of mutated mitochondria, so her child has only a low chance of contracting related conditions.

However, in cases where the great majority of mitochondria are damaged, a child is at a higher risk of being born with a disease, such as muscular dystrophy or ataxia, a nerve disorder that causes the loss of muscle control.

It's estimated one in 6,500 people end up with mitochondria disease.

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority has advised the United Kingdom government that there is support for the treatment.

A recent survey found most people would back the therapy, if it prevented hereditary diseases that affect the heart, muscles and brain.

The authority went on to say there is no scientific evidence that demonstrates the procedure is unsafe.

The panel added that, should the treatment be legalized, it should be administered on a case-by-case basis, with donors and patients remaining entirely anonymous.

On the other hand, David King, director of the Human Genetics Alert campaign group, represents opponents of the work , which they say crosses a "crucial line" ethically and could lead to the "disaster of genetically engineered babies and consumer eugenics."

So, now the Department of Health, which ordered the consultation last year, must decide if Britain becomes the first country to permit the treatment.