Three parent babies given green light by government

"The Government has run a comprehensive and transparent process over the lifetime of this Parliament to review the public acceptability of mitochondrial donation and the ongoing evidence of safety and efficacy of the new techniques involved, said public health minister Jane Ellison in a written statement.

The time is now right to give Parliament the opportunity to consider and vote on these regulations.

Around one in every 200 babies born in the UK has a severe mitochondrial disease. Although rare, the disorders can be passed to future generations through the maternal line.

Examples of mitochondrial diseases include conditions that cause muscle wasting, nerve damage, loss of sight and heart failure.

Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies said: Mitochondrial donation will give women who carry severe mitochondrial disease the opportunity to have children without passing on devastating genetic disorders.

It will also keep the UK at the forefront of scientific development in this area.

If the new laws are voted in, it will be up to the fertility regulator, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to decide whether a treatment can go ahead on a case-by-case basis.

Mitochondrial transfer will only be allowed when there is a "significant risk" of disability or serious illness.

Children born after mitochondrial transfer will not be entitled to discover the identity of the "third parent" donor.

While many doctors and scientists applaud the move, pointing out that it could eliminate terrible diseases, critics argue "mitochondrial transfer" could lead to designer babies.

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Three parent babies given green light by government