Anyway, the child is not actually a product of three hereditary parents. Our "gene splicing" technology isn't good enough for that, yet. Here's what happens: the mitochondria in our cells are organelles that produce energy. There is strong evidence they once existed as independent organisms: they have their own DNA, and they reproduce independently of our cells.
You can only get mitochondrial DNA from your mother. Sperm cells don't contain mitochondria, but your mother's egg did. When the egg cell divided after fertilization, her mitochondria were subsequently propagated into your cells. Some women cannot produce viable offspring because they have mitochondrial defect diseases.
This "Three Parent" IVF process combines haploids from both parents with mitochondria from a third person.
None of what we normally consider heritable characteristics come from the third "parent." Just some cell parts. As usual, sensationalist press stories got it all wrong...
Thanks for explaining it. Biologically, it’s almost like a ‘rented uterus’ agreement from a third party, who has no genetic link to the prospective child. The mitochondrial structure then serves as the empty vessel, one that is then filled or fused with parental DNA.
I still think all three participants will feel like a ‘real parent’. Not all will want to be, at least not at the beginning of gestation. Many people change after the birth.
I’ve heard of many surrogate mothers who did not plan to love this baby which is clearly not their own. The sight of a healthy newborn infant can instantly create an unbreakable bond, one did not expect to feel. An unbreakable bond, with most the obligations that come with it. It’s a very real human reaction that can occurr without logic or reason.