A U.K. fertility watchdog has approved a controversial new
procedure to prevent mitochondrial disease. According to
Britain’s Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority, one in
200 children are born annually with the disease, a genetic cell
mutation that can cause diabetes, deafness, heart disease and
other neurological diseases and can eventually lead to
catastrophic organ failure. In the in vitro procedure, faulty
genes from the mother are replaced by those from a donor,
creating, in effect, three parents per embryo. The number of
genes replaced is tiny – 37 out of some 23,000 – and
insignificant to our overall looks, such as hair and eye color.
In its recommendation to the British government, the HFEA called
the arguments for proceeding with the technique “clear and
compelling.” Nevertheless, the idea has raised questions among
ethicists about a slippery slope towards the creation of so-
called “designer babies.” If we can replace genes to prevent
inherited diseases, can we also sort through the gene pool