Nucleus

Mitochondria

Chromo-somes

Mitochondrial Diseases

• Organs with high energy needs tend to be most severely affected e.g. muscle, brain, eyes, heart

• Prevalence - about 1:5000 people in the UK– Around 1 in 200 children are born each year with abnormal

mtDNA– Only 1 child in 10,000 is severely affected.

• Can lead to (recurrent) stillbirth, death of babies or children

• It is not possible to predict how severely affected a child will be

• [May not show up until adulthood]

• Proposed techniques could ‘save’ around 10 lives each year in the UK – (NB it is not a ‘cure’ for existing cases)

Mitochondrial Diseases

1. ‘No children’ option

2. Adoption

3. Egg donation*

4. Prenatal diagnosis* early in pregnancy

5. Pre-implantation genetic diagnosis*

6. ‘Three parent’ IVF technique*

How may Mitochondrial Diseases be prevented?

* All have significant ethical implications

‘Three parent embryos’ - questions to be asked?

• Is it necessary?• Does it work?• Is it safe? • Is it ethical?• Is it legal?• Why is it being advocated so strongly by some?

Other Issues

• Can v. ought

• Ends v. means– “Act in such a way that you treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the

person of any other, never merely as a means to an end, but always at the same time as an end.”— Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysic of Morals

• Identity and parentage

• Changing the germ-line!!

• Wider social implications

• Precedents and ‘slippery slopes’

What about biblical principles?

Made in the image of GodGod created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and

female He created them. Genesis 1:27

Fearfully and wonderfully madeFor you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise

you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. Psalm 139:13-16

Children as a gift from God “Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him”.Psalm 127:3

Others?

Caveats

• In discussion our arguments need to be consistent and non-contradictory

• In considering biblical texts to support an argument the context is important.

• Don’t fall into the ‘compassion trap’ too readily

Three-parent embryos for mitochondrial disorders

CMF files no:51 Summer 2013– Philippa Taylor

– www.cmf.org.uk

Three films produced for the U.K. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority explain how Mitochondria Replacement treatment works, and what (some of) the ethical and practical considerations are: http://www.closeupresearch.com/mitochondria_replacement_ethical_considerations.html