Minister Sparks Backlash for Suggesting Foreigners Could Undergo 'Three-Parent Babies' IVF Treatment in Britain

Foreigners will be allowed to undergo controversial IVF treatment creating 'three-parent babies' in Britain if Parliament green-lights the treatment, a health minister has suggested.

Jane Ellison sparked a backlash on Wednesday by saying she expects UK clinics will be free to treat oversees patients should the procedure be approved later this year.

MPs and peers from across the political divide raised fears the move could create a new front of health tourism, with foreigners circumventing bans in their home countries by visiting Britain for treatment.

One Lord warned such a move would see the Government "encouraging and enabling people to break the laws of their own countries" while a Tory backbencher called the suggestion deplorable.

There were also concerns the Government could possibly face spiralling legal costs as children born using the new technique face unforeseen medical problems.

The row surrounds mitochondrial DNA transfer, a technique that would offer parents at high risk of having children with severe disabilities such as muscular dystrophy a donor's DNA to mend genetic flaws.

Legislation approving the procedure, which is outlawed in other European...