Church of England opposes ‘three parent babies’ legislation

The Church of England has said it would be 'irresponsible' to introduce laws to allow 'three parent babies' in the UK, ahead of a parliamentary vote on the issue next week.

On Tuesday MPs are due to vote on whether to change the Human Fertlisation and Embryology Act 2008 and legalise mitochondial replacement therapy.

According to the Telegraph, the Church of England announced yesterday that it could not support the legislation.

Under the proposed legislation, IVF clinics would be able to replace defective mitochondrial DNA from an egg with healthy DNA given by a donor. This would reduce the number of children born with serious inherited diseases such as muscular dystrophy, but would also mean those children would technically have two mothers, or three parents in all.

The Church has expressed concerns that the vote will happen ahead of peer-reviewed safety checks into the technology.

The Church of England's national adviser on medical ethics, Rev Dr Brendan McCarthy, told the Telegraph: "The Archbishops Council, which monitors this issue, does not feel that there has been sufficient scientific study or informed consultation into the ethics, safety and efficacy of mitochondria transfer.

"Without a clearer picture of the role mitochondria play in the transfer of hereditary characteristics, the Church does not feel it would be responsible to change the law at this time."

A number of leading scientists have called on MPs to support the legislation. In aletter to the Timesthis week, which was signed by five Nobel laureates, the signatories said parents of children with mitochondrial diseases "should not have to wait for law to catch up" with science.

"We believe that those who know what it is like to care for, and sometimes to lose, an extremely sick child are the people best placed to decide whether this technology is right for them, with medical advice and within the strict regulatory framework proposed. They have been waiting for the science for long enough. They should not have to wait for the law to catch up," they said.

The signatories include Sir Paul Nurse, president of the Royal Society, Sir John Gurdon, who won the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, and the Rt Rev Lord Harries, a former bishop of Oxford.

See more here:
Church of England opposes 'three parent babies' legislation