A British medical ethics panel has been given a go ahead to the three parent fertility treatments which are designed prevent some incurable inherited diseases, as long as research shows they are likely to be safe and effective. Better known as in vitro fertilization (IVF) as the offspring has genes from a mother, father and from a female donor, the panel has urged that the treatment should be offered to affected families together with full information and expert support.

Earlier, the treatment had raised a lot of controversy with many termed it as unethical and illogical. The figures state that nearly one in 6,500 children that are born worldwide have a serious disease caused by faulty mitochondrial DNA. In order to counter these numbers, this new procedure was introduced.

According to Geoff Watts, who chaired a Nuffield inquiry, “If these treatments are successful, these children would be among the first in the world to have a genetic connection to not two people, but three people. There are a number of ethical questions that arise and needed to be considered”.

Although this procedure is still at a research stage, the tests that have come out are very positive in effectively replacing mitochondria.