Lawmakers on Tuesday voted in favor of a law that sets the stage for the United Kingdom to be the first country in the world to allow a pioneering in vitro fertilization technique using DNA from three people. The technique could prevent mitochondrial diseases but also raises significant ethical issues.The measure was passed in the House of Commons, 382 to 128.
Passage of the law is opposed by Catholic and Anglican church leaders, in part because the process involves the destruction of an embryo. One in 6,500 babies in the United Kingdom are thought to develop a serious mitochondrial disorder, which can lead to health issues such as heart and liver disease, respiratory problems, blindness and muscular dystrophy.
A further vote must be held in the UK’s upper house, the House of Lords, before the measure can become law. Do you think this will work in Nigeria?