Mitochondrial donation and parental status: does size matter?
Giuliana Fuscaldo1, Molly Johnston1, Centre for Bioethics, Monash University Clayton 1Centre for Bioethics, Monash University, Clayton, Vic, Australia
Abstract
In April 2022, the Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Act was passed legalising mitochondrial donation in Australia, for research, training, and human reproductive purposes, under strict regulatory conditions. Mitochondrial donation (MD) is an emerging assisted reproductive technology that can be used to prevent the transmission of mitochondrial diseases from an affected woman to her offspring.
MD, sometimes referred to as ‘3 parent IVF’, involves the enucleation of a donor egg and the creation of an embryo with the nuclear DNA of two people and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from the healthy egg donor. Whether an mtDNA donor is, or should be considered a ‘parent’ is the subject of ongoing debate. Some scholars have argued that if an egg donor is a genetic parent then a mtDNA donor is also a genetic parent. Conversely it has been argued that the type of DNA (non-nuclear) and/or the tiny amount of mtDNA involved in MD does not generate parental status.
We draw on data from surveys of people considering the fate of their surplus eggs to explore views about MD and parental status. Our findings suggest that size does matter; 33% (15) of respondents indicated that they would be more likely to donate enucleated eggs for MD than whole eggs because the genetic contribution is very small, while 35 %(16) indicated feeling the same about the donation of enucleated and whole eggs. We consider the implications of mapping parental responsibilities to the amount of genetic material contributed
Biography
Dr Giuliana Fuscaldo is a researcher with the Monash Bioethics Centre. Giuliana’s background is in bioethics and reproductive technology, and earlier in embryology and IVF.
Giuliana has held academic positions at the University of Melbourne and Monash university and has been involved in health ethics research and teaching for many years. Her research interests include the ethical issues that arise from advances in reproductive technology, ethical problems in clinical practice and research ethics.