Three for all

摘要

ADVANCES in assisted reproduction are never without controversy. There are always questions of ethics and policy, as well as safety and efficacy concerns. Once a technology is available to the public, suggested new uses for it inevitably spark fresh debate. Mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs) are the latest example. The suite of procedures use DNA from three people to make a baby: the nucleus of one woman's egg, the mitochondria of another woman's egg and a sperm. MRT can be used in the UK for women who risk passing on mitochondrial disease. But discussion has now turned to a specific application: allowing same-sex female couples to have genetically related children.