Three Parent Babies: Unethical, Unnecessary, Unsafe

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.

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