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British House of Commons said the introduction of the possibility of the use of controversial techniques of artificial insemination using the DNA of three people – two women and men. Britain could be the first country to legalize this method.
The in vitro method of allowing the use of DNA were in favor of a third person in Tuesday’s 382 MPs voted against was 128. The parties had already announced that the vote on this issue will be exempt from party discipline.
New the so-called method. assisted reproduction, which involves the use of a small fragment of the mitochondrial DNA of a third person, allows to have healthy children, people with genetic diseases. Only about 0.1 percent. Child’s DNA would come from the donor.
If a government project also tell the House of Lords, which commentators expect, the new rules may come into force later this year. UK would become the first country in the world allowing this novel method.
The project assumes that a woman will come from the mitochondrial DNA, will be treated in the same way as it is now an organ donor, so the child will remain anonymous .
The aim of the new techniques to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases during treatment in vitro. In some women, the mitochondria are defective. Is encoded in a very small number of 37 genes that may contain genetic defects carried by the mother to offspring situated in mitochondrial DNA (mDNA). Such mitochondrial genetic defects are often associated with tissues with high energy requirements – musculoskeletal or nervous system. These are diseases such as Leber’s optic neuropathy, peripheral neuropathy with ataxia and retinitis pigmentosa, and myoclonic epilepsy with abnormal red muscle fibers. Statistically suffer from not 1 in 15 000 people.
As explained by Reuters, mDNA has no effect – in contrast to the DNA in the cell nucleus – human characteristics such as hair color or eye appearance or personality traits. However, the controversy calls the fact that the change in mDNA is stable and passed down from generation to generation.
This brave, but at the same time conscious and well-considered decision of the parliament – said during the debate Deputy Minister. Jane Ellison health. In her opinion, this decision for many families is the “light in the tunnel.”
But there were opponents of legalizing the controversial method. You can not predict what will be the consequences of this decision. We only know that when the procedure, on which we are discussing, will be legal, there will be no way back – stressed Fiona Bruce, the Conservative Party parliamentarian.
Earlier in favor of the project told the Prime Minister David Cameron . I believe that there should be a thorough research on this method, but as a parent who has a disabled child, I know what they’re going through the parents in this situation. If science can help in this situation, and all the arguments in favor of, I think we should give them the opportunity to use this method, – he said.
Support for the government project expressed, inter alia British scientists-Nobel Prize winners and 40 scientists from 14 other countries.
Among the opponents of this method of artificial insemination are representatives of the Churches of the Anglican and Catholic, who spoke last week on this. According to them, this method is neither ethical nor safe, and in addition involves the destruction of embryos.
Activists of Human Genetics Alert warn that legalizing this method could open the door to the genetic modification of human embryos the future – not only for health purposes. If you’ve exceeded the limit set by the ethics, it will be difficult to stop in front of the next steps in the direction of “projected children” – told the BBC David King of Human Genetics Alert.
In addition to the question of the nature Ethical against breakthrough method arguments are cited safety concerns. Some scientists claim that the procedure itself fertilization genes involving a third party is not yet sufficiently explored and tested, and therefore it should not be advertised as completely safe.
According to the researchers from the University of Newcastle, who developed this method, it will apply only in a small number of cases where DNA defects can have serious consequences for the child. In their view, we are talking about less than 10 cases per year in the UK.
(edbie)
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