Three Parent Babies: Unethical, Unnecessary, Unsafe
By Philippa Taylor,
BioNews
| 02. 16. 2015
Untitled Document
In a recent debate organised by the Progress Educational Trust in Parliament - 'Mitochondrial Donation: Is It Safe? Is It Ethical?' - I spoke about the ethical issues raised by techniques to avoid the passing on of inherited mitochondrial disorders, pro-nuclear transfer (PNT) and maternal spindle transfer (MST). It is claimed that because these new techniques will prevent terrible disease, save lives and are safe enough to use on humans, it would be unethical not to use them. The techniques, it is argued, are as acceptable as any transplant, or similar to replacing batteries in a camera.
Read more...
Related Articles
By Grace Won, KQED [with CGS' Katie Hasson] | 12.02.2025
In the U.S., it’s illegal to edit genes in human embryos with the intention of creating a genetically engineered baby. But according to the Wall Street Journal, Bay Area startups are focused on just that. It wouldn’t be the first...
Several recent Biopolitical Times posts (1, 2, 3, 4) have called attention to the alarmingly rapid commercialization of “designer baby” technologies: polygenic embryo screening (especially its use to purportedly screen for traits like intelligence), in vitro gametogenesis (lab-made eggs and sperm), and heritable genome editing (also termed embryo editing or reproductive gene editing). Those three, together with artificial wombs, have been dubbed the “Gattaca stack” by Brian Armstrong, CEO of the cryptocurrency company...
Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project, MacArthur Genius, liberationist, storyteller, writer, and friend of CGS, died on November 14. Alice shone a bright light on pervasive ableism in our society. She articulated how people with disabilities are limited not by an inability to do things but by systemic segregation and discrimination, the de-prioritization of accessibility, and the devaluation of their lives.
We at CGS learned so much from Alice about disability justice, which goes beyond rights...
By Adam Feuerstein, Stat | 11.20.2025
The Food and Drug Administration was more than likely correct to reject Biohaven Pharmaceuticals’ treatment for spinocerebellar ataxia, a rare and debilitating neurodegenerative disease. At the very least, the decision announced Tuesday night was not a surprise to anyone paying attention. Approval...