Blog Post #2
As many have known, the mitochondria is the “power plant of the cell” and contains some form
of DNA. Unlike the nucleus, the mitochondria is more susceptible to mutations and can only be
passed down by the mother. The outcome of this is mitochondrial disease which can be very
devastating and life threatening. Fortunately, scientists have discovered a way to prevent this
kind of disease through a technique called “three-mother” IVF. The downside to this is that there
are also many ethical concerns surrounding this process. As there will be three genetic
contributors, one legal concern is whether or not laws should be amended to indicate who are the
biological parents and will genetic boundaries have to be set to identify them. Additionally, there
is also a social concern of replacing the nucleus of one oocyte with another which violates
human dignity and as it modifies the human genome. Not only that, but based on assumptions
made by scientists, unhealthy embryos are usually discarded which violates religious beliefs.
This is because God has a plan for all of us and using technology to get rid of a disease or
“discard” a potential life is like playing with God.
The process of “three-mother” IVF includes removing the oocyte from one woman and
transferring it to another woman’s enucleated oocyte. This will then have the DNA from the
intended mother, egg donor, and be fertilized by the father’s sperm cell. There is also an option to
screen an already-created embryo to detect whether or not it has a particular mutation. The pros
is that it can prevent mitochondrial disease from being passed down to the child or prevent it
from forming in general. The cons to this is that there may be unforeseen consequences that
could be passed down to later generations. There may also be long-term effects that “three-
mother” IVF could have on the embryo. The screening being used for this technique accepts
healthy embryos and discards unhealthy ones. What one constitutes as “healthy” or “normal” is
really based on the eye of the beholder. Everyone has different ideas of what they believe is
normal which can lead to wrongful rejections. Just because an embryo has a genetic marker does
not necessarily mean that they will develop the disease. If these oocytes are discarded based on
these assumptions it completely violates ethicalness.
The parties that will be affected includes the mother and the embryo that it carries. Each person
has the right to do what they want with their embryo which means if they wish to have an egg
donor then they can do so. Currently, research has allowed woman to go through this process so
their rights are not being violated. As this is such a great discovery, there has been many news
articles being written about this. I do not believe that this article had any bias as it was purely
written to inform the public about “three-mother” IVF.
This article (https://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/15/three-parent-babies-ivf-clinics-
told-can-create-children-two/) also talks about “three-mother” IVF. It is very similar to the first
article I read as it also informs us about this technique. With that being said, I do not sense any
bias from the author as they explain both the benefits and harms.
I believe that mitochondrial disease is something that can be very deadly and devastating. If there
are ways to eliminate or prevent such an illness without much harm I am up for this technique.
With that being said, I strongly follow the utilitarian approach as it provides the greatest good to
the greatest number of people. This technique will not only help mothers produce healthier
offspring, but can also increase the longevity of their lives by reducing their chances of
developing a mutation. If we weigh the harms between mitochondrial disease and “three-parent”
IVF, the disease is definitely more harmful. So with this, I say that it provides the greatest
balance of good over evil.
Works Cited
Knapton, Sarah. “Three Parent Babies: IVF Clinics Told They Can Create Children with Two
Mothers .” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 15 Dec. 2016,
www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2016/12/15/three-parent-babies-ivf-clinics-told-can-create-
children-two/.
Zeiger, Heather. “Mighty Mitochondria and Reproductive Technology.” Bioethics.com,
Bioethics, 18 Nov. 2013, www.bioethics.com/archives/16365.
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