UK Move Toward “3-Person IVF” is Risky and Premature

The UK Department of Health announced today that it will “press ahead” with efforts to gain Parliamentary approval for the experimental technique known as three-person IVF, which puts the nucleus of one woman’s egg or embryo into the enucleated egg or embryo of another.

“The UK government is pressing forward with these biologically extreme techniques despite serious safety concerns voiced by scientists, strong disapproval by the public, and their violation of a globally widespread agreement to refrain from human germline modification,” said Marcy Darnovsky, PhD, Executive Director of the Center for Genetics and Society.

Further, the case for taking these risks is weak, since there are alternatives for women affected by mitochondrial disease who are seeking to have a healthy and genetically related child.

"There appears to be a thumb on the scale and a foot on the accelerator," Darnovsky said. “The UK’s process, which is supposed to consider the evidence, the benefits and the risks, has been deeply flawed.”

Safety: Safety concerns for children that might be born following these procedures have been articulated by many scientists, including a panel of experts convened by the US Food and Drug Administration in February 2014. The UK government’s own standard – that there is “no evidence that the techniques are unsafe” – is inadequate and dubious.

Public opinion: The Department of Health announcement was released in conjunction with a report on its public consultation, which found 1152 of 1857 responses opposing the use of these techniques. Although the consultation did not ask whether the draft regulations allowing “three-person IVF” should be approved (focusing instead on how they should be implemented), more than 1000 respondents said that they were premature. The Department of Health report nonetheless dismisses this majority opposition. The Wellcome Trust, which has funded the development of the techniques in the UK, stated that the consultation showed “broad support,” despite the report’s own numbers demonstrating the exact opposite.

Policy and social consequences: If the UK approves “three-person IVF,” it will be in violation of the widespread global agreement to refrain from modifying the human germline. More than 40 countries prohibit human germline modification, including the UK. The planned vote by Parliament will decide whether an exception to that law should be made.

The Department of Health acknowledges that the techniques would modify the human germline, but the report released today says that it “cannot accept…claims that…the resulting child [would have] three genetic parents or that the techniques amount to genetic modification."

“Perhaps with an eye to the upcoming Parliamentary debate, the Department of Health appears to be redefining basic terms as they go,” Darnovsky said.

The Department’s draft regulations are due to go to Parliament in the autumn.

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For comprehensive information on "three-person IVF," see our resource page.

The Center for Genetics and Society is a non-profit public affairs and policy advocacy organization working to encourage responsible uses and effective societal governance of human genetic and reproductive biotechnologies.

Contact:
Marcy Darnovsky
1-510-625-0819 x305
mdarnovsky[AT]geneticsandsociety[DOT]org