A bill permitting mitochondrial donation has been passed by the Australian House of Representatives.
Mitochondrial donation can prevent transmission of mitochondrial disease from mother to child, where there is a harmful mutation in the mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondria are organelles that produce energy for cells, and are passed on to offspring via the mitochondria in the egg cell. Between one in 5000 and one in 10,000 people are likely to develop severe mitochondrial disease during their lifetime, with approximately one child per week in Australia born with a severe form of the disease.
'I genuinely believe the pain, the suffering, shortened life spans, the illness that is suffered by many children who have a mitochondrial disease – the sadness of their families and the impact on the family – make these scientific advances worth pursuing,' said Labour MP Tanya Plibersek who supported the bill.
The bill, known as Maeve's law, passed with 92 votes for and 29 against, in Australia's first conscience vote since the same-sex marriage vote in 2017. Maeve's law is named after five-year-old Maeve Hood, who was born with Leigh syndrome, a severe mitochondrial disorder diagnosed when she was 18 months old, which means she is unlikely to live beyond her eighth birthday.
The bill faced opposition from politicians who had concerns about opening a commercial market for donor eggs, genetic engineering, including sex selection, and how the procedure would require destroying existing embryos, which has triggered several religious objections. The bill only passed the House of Representatives after amendments to prevent the law being used for sex selection were introduced.
Despite the bill passing the House of Representatives, it must still pass the Australian Senate before it becomes law. The bill has wide support from the medical community, and 60 medical experts and doctors published an open letter encouraging the Senate to support it.
'World-class clinical, reproductive medicine and ethics expertise is available in Australia to support this technology, but it is currently not legal to do so,' the letter read. 'The licensing requirements within the bill provide for appropriately strong control and regulation while the law has a range of provisions and safeguards for families that consider mitochondrial donation.'
Sources and References
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Controversial mitochondrial donation legislation passed after conscience vote
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Federal MPs consider ethical quandaries in debate over ground-breaking mitochondrial donation technology
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The long road to get Maeve's law before Parliament
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Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve's Law) Bill 2021
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House of Representatives passes Maeve's Law as 60 doctors urge Senate to back it
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