In Kiev, Ukraine, another baby has been born after in-vitro fertilization via the highly controversial “3-parent IVF” technique.
This technique creates an embryo from a spermatozoid and two egg cells, from 2 different women. By “pronuclear transfer” the nucleus (genetic material) from the biological mother’s egg is integrated into the second younger woman’s egg, from which the genetic material has previously been removed. The result is a fertilized ovocyte from one man and 2 women, with the genetic characteristics of the two parents but also the mitochondrial DNA from the female donor. Thus, the embryo manufactured using this technique has 3 different genetic origins.
According to the hospital in Ukraine, the birth occurred on January 5. The parents requested this technique due to infertility.
Although initially developed to avoid transmitting serious mitochondrial disease, 3-parent IVF is now being used in absence of these pathologies as in this case in Ukraine, simply for the use of younger egg cells to overcome infertility problems.
Alliance VITA alerts citizens on major bioethical issues:
“This is a new and serious bioethical abuse. There is no evidence that this experimental technique is absolutely safe; in fact it is quite the opposite. The newborn child is used as “guinea pig” with many unknowns for his health. It is completely irresponsible to take such risks for a child and his family by “tinkering” to produce a genetically modified embryo.
Concerning human embryos, the same ethical questions are at issue here as for the CRISP-Cas9 genetic modification technique. The first baby was born in Mexico using this technique outside of any legal or regulatory guidelines, which was an unprecedented ethical transgression. This new case represents a serious and particularly dangerous form of recklessness. The international community should rise up to massively condemn such an infringement on Human Rights.”
Our article for further information on this subject: “the Hidden Face of 3-parent IVF”
>> Refer to our Expert Notes for further information on this technique and the ethical issues it raises.
Alliance VITA has launched a national and international warning to alert the international community of the dangerous abuses associated with the genetic modification of human embryos, Stop GM Babies.
