Genetically modified designer babies are coming: it’s a mitochondrial ménage a trois

Ever thought the polygamists have the right idea when it comes to a workable family model? Many hands and all that. Today the British parliament will vote on proposed legislation that will make Britain the first country in the world to allow IVF clinics to offer an experimental method of egg fertilization called mitochondrial donation. This method uses genetic material from two women’s eggs, then fertilised with another man’s sperm to create an embryo. Or to put it in sci-fi terms, a genetically modified designer baby with three parents. Supporters of the #mitoaware campaign argue that the new method will help couples with genetic conditions to conceive healthy babies. Detractors like Evangelical Alliance spokesperson Peter Lynas have denounced the practice.

Evangelical Alliance spokesman Peter Lynas spreading disinformation and FUD about mitochondrial transfer #mitoaware pic.twitter.com/Qvp2sysIeq — Atheist NI (@Atheist_NI) February 3, 2015

Like many a scientific battle before, ethics, religion and a healthy dose of moral outrage are being spouted on both sides of the argument. The ramifications of having three parents are yet to be fully explored: what are the rights of the additional female donor to the child she helped to create? Are we ready for what is essentially a new leap in human evolution? It’s rare that we get a chance to quote Jurassic Park but as another scientist, albeit a fictional one, said: “All major changes are like death. You can’t see what’s on the other side until you get there.”