UK Parliament has finally legalized Three-person babies procedure; now children can be made from three persons - one man and two women. The latest development in vitro fertilization, started by Newcastle's doctors, is planned to avoid babies being born with terminal genetic illnesses.
On Thursday, Dec.15, the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority or HFEA has announced that they now accept any applications from fertility clinics who want to give the controversial IVF procedure after the procedure has been legally allowed by the UK Parliament to work. Now the controversial three-babies procedure is finally legalized.
"We're delighted. This is a huge triumph for the research, for the regulatory process in the UK, and most importantly for all the families who are affected," Mary Herbert, a reproductive biology professor in the Newcastle Fertility Centre, told The Guardian. She added that they have everything ready to go.
So how does three-person IVF technique work? Three-person IVF procedure involves replacing defective mitochondria inherited from the mother with healthy mitochondria of a new woman. If the mitochondrial DNA of a mother is defective, it's possible that she might pass down some rare but very critical mitochondrial illnesses, including diabetes, heart issues, muscle weakness, stroke-related episodes, and epilepsy. Mitochondrial illnesses are genetic illnesses, affecting an estimated 4,300 kids each year.
Babies can get fatal diseases passed down by one mom. By using three-person IVF or three-person babies, it is hoped the odds of getting deadly illnesses are significantly reduced. A new infant is born with less DNA amount from the donor, who's now the third parent, which has created some controversy. However, experts said the method is reflected scientifically ready and now is fully approved and legal.
The first child of this UK's latest advancement could be born towards the end of 2017; the BBC has learned. However, the baby is not going to be the very first one to be born through a three-person technique as a child had been already taken through the technique of three-person. The child was born by a Jordanian couple who had undergone the same procedure in Mexico with the help of doctors from New York.
