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Submission to the HFEA Review of scientific methods to avoid mitochondrial disease - 7 December 2012

Published: 30th November 2012

The UK government regulator for embryo research, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, is consulting on new proposals to allow scientists to create children with three, or even four, parents through genetic engineering. This would involve altering the germ line, of babies, making changes that would be passed down to all future generations.

Two new scientific procedures are being proposed, with the aim of preventing parents passing on mitochondrial diseases to their children on. CMF have responded to this consultation raising our deep concerns with the proposed research to create GM babies. Not only are there ethical dilemmas with creating babies with three or four genetic parents, there would be real health and safety concerns for such children created by manipulation of their genes and it would for the first time, ever in the world, cross a line that Governments around the world have resisted, altering the germ line in humans. Once this crucial ethical line has been crossed it will be impossible to go back.

Read the CMF response here.

For further information:

Steven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668

Media Enquiries:

Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225

About CMF:

Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.

CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.