Posted on 09/28/2016 3:43:38 PM PDT by NYer
A shocking new report claims the world’s first three-parent baby (pictured above) has been born. Children born through ‘three-person IVF’ would contain some genetic material from each of three different people.
There are about 50 known mitochondrial diseases (MCDs), which are passed on in genes coded by mitochondrial (as opposed to nuclear) DNA. They range hugely in severity, but for most there is presently no cure and little other than supportive treatment. The goal behind creating “designer babies” with three parents is to eliminate such diseases.
But there are good reasons for pro-life people to be concerned about the process and the eugenics-based reasons behind it.
Here’s more on the infant born from three parents:
It’s a boy! A five-month-old boy is the first baby to be born using a new technique that incorporates DNA from three people, New Scientist can reveal. “This is great news and a huge deal,” says Dusko Ilic at King’s College London, who wasn’t involved in the work. “It’s revolutionary.”
The controversial technique, which allows parents with rare genetic mutations to have healthy babies, has only been legally approved in the UK. But the birth of the child, whose Jordanian parents were treated by a US-based team in Mexico, should fast-forward progress around the world, say embryologists.
The boy’s mother carries genes for Leigh syndrome, a fatal disorder that affects the developing nervous system. Genes for the disease reside in DNA in the mitochondria, which provide energy for our cells and carry just 37 genes that are passed down to us from our mothers. This is separate from the majority of our DNA, which is housed in each cell’s nucleus.
Around a quarter of her mitochondria have the disease-causing mutation. While she is healthy, Leigh syndrome was responsible for the deaths of her first two children. The couple sought out the help of John Zhang and his team at the New Hope Fertility Center in New York City.
Dr. Peter Saunders, a pro-life physician in England, has commented on the ethical problems with three-parent embryos:
This is not about finding a cure. It is about preventing people with MCD being born. We need first to be clear that these new technologies, even if they are eventually shown to work, will do nothing for the thousands of people already suffering from mitochondrial disease or for those who will be born with it in the future.
Is it safe? This is far from established. Each technique involves experimental reproductive cloning techniques and germline genetic engineering, both highly controversial and potentially very dangerous. Cloning by nuclear transfer has so far proved ineffective in humans and unsafe in other mammals with a large number of cloned individuals spontaneously aborting and many others suffering from physical abnormalities or limited lifespans. Also, any changes, or unpredicted genetic problems (mutations) will be passed to future generations. In general, the more manipulation needed, the higher the severity and frequency of problems in resulting embryos and fetuses.
Is it ethical? No, there are huge ethical issues. A large number of human eggs will be needed for the research, involving ‘harvesting’ that is both risky and invasive for women donors. How many debt-laden students or desperate infertile women will be exploited and incentivised by being offered money or free IVF treatment in return for their eggs? How many thousands of human embryos will be destroyed? If it ever works, what issues of identity confusion will arise in children with effectively three biological parents? What does preventing those with mitochondrial disease being born say about how we value people already living with the condition? Where will this selection end? Some mitochondrial diseases are much less serious than others. Once we have judged some affected babies not worthy of being conceived, where do we draw the line, and who should draw it?
Rarely does anyone in the Middle East adopt children. They want only their own.
Catholic ping!
I predict unintended and unforeseen consequences. Birth defects for starters.
I see that they wanted to prevent the baby from inheriting Leigh Syndrome, which killed this couple’s prior two babies. But this CAN’T have been the only way to ensure a healthy birth.
“Brave New World”.
“It takes a village to spawn a child.”
Why in the world did they pixel out that poor baby’s eyes? Was someone going to recognize him? (Or her...I didn’t read the article, of course.)
“While she is healthy, Leigh syndrome was responsible for the deaths of her first two children.”
So she’s willing to give THIS freak show a try? I’ll bet THIS kid has problems no one has ever seen before and they won’t be able to do a thing for it.
A picture of this woman is in the Dictionary next to, ‘SELFISH.’
"Oh, that's gross, Dad ... you mean THAT is how I was born?!"
Frankensteinian in scope.
LOL. I was wondering that myself.
Whew! I was hoping the last word in that headline was not going to be ‘Heads’. Something found only on the Island of Dr. Moreau.
Complete and utter BS. This is about creating humans that will eventually be able to self reproduce for the homo population. We're already hearing about the federal government experimenting with creating chimeras (human / animal cross breeds). I don't even want to know why; I know the answer is not good.
God will not be mocked and when that hammer comes down its going to be hard.
And soon!
GOD will not be mocked.
Oh Brave New World.
As it was in the days of Noah
GMTA! :)
LOL.
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