The Mamas and the Papa
May 21 2008 / by Bora
Category: Biotechnology Year: 2008 Rating: 13 Hot
This past Mother’s Day, it occurred to me that the meaning
of parenthood is constantly evolving. While social trends, such as
increasing divorce rates and rising numbers of same-sex marriages
are major contributing factors, science is adding another layer to
the evermore complex meaning of the modern family. A good example
of this stems from the latest developments in genetic manipulation
and assisted reproductive technology.
In a recent report, a British team of researchers at Newcastle University announced that they have created a human embryo conceived from three parents, in which the nuclear DNA is inherited from the mother and the father but the mitochondrial DNA is inherited from a third party. The three-parent embryo was created in an effort to prevent genetic diseases associated with defective maternal mitochondrial DNA. (cont.)
It is reported that 1,000-4,000 children are born each year with some type of mitochondrial diseases, which can affect cells of various vital organs, including the brain, nerves, muscle, kidney, and liver. In many cases, mitochondrial diseases are genetically inherited, specifically from the mother. By developing a technique in which the nuclear DNA of the fertilized embryo is inserted into an enucleated donor egg, the researchers essentially performed a mitochondrial transplant, providing the embryo with a more viable mitochondrial DNA. The researchers report that the three-parent baby is yet to be born but foresee that this procedure will be available as a treatment option in the next 3–5 years.
Combined with the rising number of cases of surrogate motherhood, brought on by improvements in safety and technique, the rapidly developing fields of genetic manipulation and assisted reproductive technology together are pushing the boundaries of the traditional sense of family and transforming the idea of parenthood. So we can be sure that in 10 years, some of us will have more Mother’s Day celebrations to attend than others.
Comment Thread (6 Responses)
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I wonder if at some point it will be possible to combine the DNA of hundreds of parents as the basis for a child. Who will then have parenting rights? The majority shareholder(s)?
Posted by: Accel Rose May 19, 2008
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Wow – didn’t know that was happening. The number and complexity of social and ethical issues we are facing is beginning to snowball.
Posted by: Field of Memes May 19, 2008
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Indeed Field o’ Memes, at some point it may become unethical not to have two mamas!
Posted by: Accel Rose May 19, 2008
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Excellent post. I, too, was unaware that this was occuring. I guess the Far Right, which is already peeved about such public school textbooks as “Heather has Two Mommies,” might get really bent out of shape with the idea that Heather has two mommies – and a daddy.
All kidding aside, this does raise some interesting – and potentially – vexing ethical issues.
Posted by: juldrich May 19, 2008
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Does anyone have any idea about how long it would take for such a process to receive FDA or European approval? It seems this will be highly regulated and not available for some time.
Posted by: Alvis Brigis May 19, 2008
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As of now, this procedure would be illegal in the U.S. and Canada. Britain is currently debating the issue in the House of Commons. It should be interesting to see if the bill that would allow this passes. If it does, I believe Britain will be the first country to allow the procedure.
Posted by: Bora May 22, 2008
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