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Three-person babies technique voted on by MPs | Three-person babies technique voted on by MPs |
(about 1 hour later) | |
MPs will hold a crucial vote later to decide whether to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people. | MPs will hold a crucial vote later to decide whether to allow the creation of babies using DNA from three people. |
They will have a free vote on the technique, which is aimed at preventing deadly genetic diseases being passed from mother to child. | They will have a free vote on the technique, which is aimed at preventing deadly genetic diseases being passed from mother to child. |
The UK could become the first country to legalise three-person babies and it could help about 150 couples a year. | The UK could become the first country to legalise three-person babies and it could help about 150 couples a year. |
It has sparked fierce ethical debate and senior Church figures have called for the procedure to be blocked. | It has sparked fierce ethical debate and senior Church figures have called for the procedure to be blocked. |
However, if there is a "yes" vote in the Commons, then the first three-person baby could be born as soon as next year. | However, if there is a "yes" vote in the Commons, then the first three-person baby could be born as soon as next year. |
The technique, which was developed in Newcastle, should help women like Sharon Bernardi, from Sunderland, who lost all seven of her children to mitochondrial disease. | The technique, which was developed in Newcastle, should help women like Sharon Bernardi, from Sunderland, who lost all seven of her children to mitochondrial disease. |
Mitochondria are the tiny compartments inside nearly every cell of the body that convert food into useable energy. | Mitochondria are the tiny compartments inside nearly every cell of the body that convert food into useable energy. |
Defective mitochondria, which are passed down only from the mother, lead to brain damage, muscle wasting, heart failure and blindness. | Defective mitochondria, which are passed down only from the mother, lead to brain damage, muscle wasting, heart failure and blindness. |
The technique uses a modified version of IVF to combine the DNA of the two parents with the healthy mitochondria of a donor woman. | The technique uses a modified version of IVF to combine the DNA of the two parents with the healthy mitochondria of a donor woman. |
It results in babies with 0.1% of their DNA from the second woman and is a permanent change that would be passed down through the generations. | It results in babies with 0.1% of their DNA from the second woman and is a permanent change that would be passed down through the generations. |
The government backs the measure in principle. | The government backs the measure in principle. |
However, MPs will be given a free vote, as it is an issue of conscience, rather than being forced down party lines. | However, MPs will be given a free vote, as it is an issue of conscience, rather than being forced down party lines. |
Prof Doug Turnbull, the director of the Wellcome Trust centre for mitochondrial research where the technique was pioneered, urged MPs to vote in favour. | Prof Doug Turnbull, the director of the Wellcome Trust centre for mitochondrial research where the technique was pioneered, urged MPs to vote in favour. |
He told BBC News: "This is research that has been suggested by the patients, supported by patients and is for the patients, and that's an important message." | He told BBC News: "This is research that has been suggested by the patients, supported by patients and is for the patients, and that's an important message." |
That message was backed up by calls from British Nobel Prize-winning scientists and 40 leading scientists from 14 countries. | That message was backed up by calls from British Nobel Prize-winning scientists and 40 leading scientists from 14 countries. |
But not everyone agrees. | But not everyone agrees. |
What will happen? | What will happen? |
Last week the Catholic and Anglican Churches in England said the idea was not safe or ethical, not least because it involved the destruction of embryos. | Last week the Catholic and Anglican Churches in England said the idea was not safe or ethical, not least because it involved the destruction of embryos. |
Other groups, including Human Genetics Alert, say the move would open the door to further genetic modification of children in the future. | Other groups, including Human Genetics Alert, say the move would open the door to further genetic modification of children in the future. |
A review by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, as well as a public consultation by the fertility regulator, argued the creation of three-person babies was ethical. | A review by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, as well as a public consultation by the fertility regulator, argued the creation of three-person babies was ethical. |
Safety concerns | Safety concerns |
Three scientific reviews by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) suggest the technique is "not unsafe". | Three scientific reviews by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) suggest the technique is "not unsafe". |
Yet some scientists argue those reviews were flawed. | Yet some scientists argue those reviews were flawed. |
Dr Ted Morrow, from the University of Sussex, believes there are still uncertainties. | |
"I have some concerns about the safety, I'm really not happy that the reviews have been as exemplary as other people think they are." | "I have some concerns about the safety, I'm really not happy that the reviews have been as exemplary as other people think they are." |
If politicians vote it through, then the HFEA is expected to give Newcastle a license to carry out the procedure. | If politicians vote it through, then the HFEA is expected to give Newcastle a license to carry out the procedure. |
The first attempt could take place this year, which could lead to the first birth in 2016. | The first attempt could take place this year, which could lead to the first birth in 2016. |