Biology Current Event

Biology Eva Cagliostro

Current Event February 28, 2015

Castle, Stephen. "Britain Set to Approve Technique to Create Babies From 3 People." The New York Times. The New York Times, 03 Feb. 2015. Web. 08 Feb. 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/04/world/europe/britain-nears-approval-of-fertilization-technique-that-combines-dna-of-three-people.html?ref=science&_r=0>.

The article “Britain Set to Approve Technique to Create Babies From 3 People” by Stephen Castle describes the decision by British lawmakers in the House of Commons to allow the in vitro creation of infants by three adults. According to the New York Times article, the procedure would be used to help women with mitochondrial diseases. These hereditary disorders affect the mitochondria, the organelle that create energy for the cell, and leads to a large spectrum of problems in the body, including premature death.

According to Castle, the procedure involves taking the nucleus DNA from the two parents and combining it with a donor’s mitochondrial DNA in the embryo. The author of the article includes quotes from experts who support and agree with the House of Commons’ decision. Those interviewed believe that this procedure will allow mothers with mitochondrial diseases to have children without worrying about passing down their ailment.  The idea is that the technique will only be used for women who have the faulty mitochondria. However, many others are opposed to the vote because the altering of embryos could lead to “designer babies.” In other words, parents could design their child using the DNA of others.

I chose to write a review of Castle’s article because the altering of an embryo is a monumental scientific breakthrough.  For the first time, a child will have the DNA of three people. This published piece is important to society because it offers a possible cure for genetic diseases. A mother or father who has a possibly fatal disease can have children without the fear of having a son or daughter who will have to suffer the hardships of a hereditary disease. On the other hand, this technique could give the wealthy the option of creating a superior race by handpicking the DNA of the exceptional. This could then lead to a multiple donors parenting a single infant.

The New York Times article “Britain Set to Approve Technique to Create Babies From 3 People” was well written and informative. The style of writing was easy to understand and did not bore the reader. However, there was a large amount of information missing from the piece. Castle neglected to include specific details about the procedure. The subject of the article was extremely interesting, but because the author did not include an explanation of the in vitro creation of these children, the reader is left confused. The author wrote about such a large topic, and did not include a large wealth of information that could influence a reader’s opinion on the matter or help explain the science behind the procedure.