The ethical issues of mitochondrial transplantation and transfer

Appleby, J.B. (2024) The ethical issues of mitochondrial transplantation and transfer. In: Mitochondrial Transplantation and Transfer : Biology, Methods, Applications, and Disease. Elsevier, pp. 313-323. ISBN 9780443188596

Abstract

In this chapter, I discuss a collection of key ethical debates surrounding the use and governance of mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRTs). While this chapter is not an exhaustive account of the ethics of MRTs, it does provide an overview of many of the key domains of ethical debate on this topic. First, I discuss some of the key background details underpinning current ethical debates, including regulation, first in human uses, safety, the metaphysics of identity, and patient privacy. Second, I discuss the debate that surrounds the ethically contentious topic of what constitutes a ‘parent’ and ‘parenthood’, especially given the prevalent use of the term ‘3-parent IVF’ to describe MRTs. Third, I discuss the key ethical and philosophical issues surrounding the idea of one's ‘sense of self’ and how this may be influenced by MRTs. Fourth, I explain the ethical debate surrounding anonymous and non-anonymous mitochondrial donation. Fifth, I investigate the ethical debate surrounding germline genome editing and concerns about so-called ‘designer babies’. I also consider the ethical debate surrounding the use of sex selection to avoid intergenerational transmission of disease and the objection that this amounts to eugenics. © 2024 by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.