Britain nears legalization of 'three-parent babies'
British lawmakers in the House of Commons approved legislation on Tuesday that would allow an in vitro fertilization technique intended to combat genetic diseases passed from mothers to children.
The procedure uses DNA from three people to make so-called three-parent babies, report the New York Times and the Washington Post. Faulty mitochondrial DNA from the mother would be replaced with healthy DNA from a female donor to eliminate conditions such as muscular dystrophy and blindness.
Mitochondrial DNA doesn’t affect appearance and would represent about 0.2 percent of the baby’s DNA, the Post says.
Couples seeking to use the procedure would have to get approval from the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority.
Among those opposing the measure is a group called Human Genetics Alert. The group said on its website that more than 60 countries ban the procedure. “This is because crossing this line would lead inevitably to a future of ‘designer babies’ and a new consumer-driven eugenics,” the group said.
The measure still needs approval from the unelected House of Lords, which rarely rejects bills approved by the House of Commons, the Times says.
