Printed from: https://www.cmf.org.uk/news/?id=10
Three UK health authorities have agreed to fund controversial 'saviour sibling' treatment on the NHS, with another eight or nine considering a similar move.
The process will be used to treat children suffering mainly from genetic blood disorders. It involves couples creating embryos through in vitro fertilisation (IVF). Embryos carrying the disorder are discarded whilst healthy embryos without the disease are implanted in the woman's uterus. At delivery, umbilical cord blood is taken to obtain stem cells with which to treat the older sibling.
The move follows the relaxation of laws in July 2004. Julie Fletcher is currently carrying the UK's first designer baby. Her two year old son Joshua suffers from Diamond Blackfan Anaemia, a pure red cell anaemia.
In another high profile case, the parents of Zain Hashmi, a five year old b-thalassaemia sufferer, are continuing attempts to create a saviour sibling for him. They have spent tens of thousands of pounds, but despite six attempts at IVF have failed to conceive.
The traditional route for treating such children is through finding bone marrow donors, but despite many attempts a match for Zain has not been found. On 24 November the Hashmis launched a foundation to help recruit ethnic minority bone marrow donors. At the press conference, Zain told reporters, 'I have a broken bone marrow and I have had more than 100 transfusions… Please help me and other children who have broken bone marrows.'
Josephine Quintavalle from Comment on Reproductive Ethics commended the moves to encourage more people to donate umbilical cord blood and bone marrow. She had previously launched a lawsuit against the Hashmis in 2002 to prevent them creating a designer baby, which ultimately failed.
Source: Telegraph 2004; 25 November, Guardian 2004; 25 November, bbc.co.uk 2002; 20 DecemberSteven Fouch (CMF Head of Communications) 020 7234 9668
Alistair Thompson on 07970 162 225
Christian Medical Fellowship (CMF) was founded in 1949 and is an interdenominational organisation with over 5,000 doctors, 900medical and nursing students and 300 nurses and midwives as members in all branches of medicine, nursing and midwifery. A registered charity, it is linked to over 100 similar bodies in other countries throughout the world.
CMF exists to unite Christian healthcare professionals to pursue the highest ethical standards in Christian and professional life and to increase faith in Christ and acceptance of his ethical teaching.
