Britain Is The First Country To Approve Three Parent Babies

Many couples turn to in vitro fertilization (IVF) as a way to get pregnant, and start the family they have always dreamed of. Parents in Britain, though, are completely changing the way IVF is looked at. On Tuesday evening, the House of Lords voted 280 to 48 in favor of allowing three parents’ DNA to be mixed together and implanted into the mother. The three donors would be the mother, father, and a female donor.

Britain is the first country to approve using three people’s DNA to create a baby, and the reason this can prove to be an invaluable resource, is because it can prevent incurable genetic diseases.

According to the Guardian, several people spoke out after the decision was made, including Robert Meadowcroft, the chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign. He says as follows.

“This result will be life-changing for many women living with mitochondrial disease, giving them the precious chance to bear unaffected children, removing the condition from a family line and reducing the numbers faced with its devastating effects.”

The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in the U.K. have pioneered and researched IVF, and now they make sure that those procedures are practiced safely in doctors’ offices worldwide. It will be up to the HFEA to develop licensing rules for this new three parent DNA in vitro fertilization, as well as make sure that each situation is looked at individually and closely monitored to ensure to the healthiest outcome for the baby.

This new technology offers hope for so many mothers, but for as many people that support this new law, there are also several groups speaking out against it. BBC News reports that The Human Genetics Act expressed their concern by saying as follows.

“The move would open the door to further genetic modification of children in the future, so-called designer babies, genetically modified for beauty, intelligence or to be free of disease.”

In a previous article by the Inquisitr, the Catholic Church was also stating their concerns over this new method of conceiving a baby. They complain that the three parent technique introduces a “rupture” between the mother and the father, and “dilutes parenthood.”

The idea of being able to prevent your child from being born with an incurable illness seems like a gift for most parents, but others still believe that only God should have control over what your baby is born like, and that parents should be ready and willing to deal with whatever challenges or blessings may come. Do you think this inventive new technology of three parent babies is beneficial or harmful to the future of our society?

[Photo courtesy of Andrew Burton/Getty Images]