MPs vote in favour of the creation of babies using DNA from three people

The technique aims to prevent deadly genetic diseases from being passed from mother to child.

16:23 03 February 2015

The United Kingdom could be the first country to allow three-person babies following a historical yes vote from MPs.

The technique aims to prevent deadly genetic diseases from being passed from mother to child. Following the “yes” vote in the Commons, the first three-person baby could be born as soon as next year.

The technique is expected to help about 150 couples a year including Sharon Bernardi, from Sunderland, who lost all seven of her children to mitochondrial disease and was used as an example case.

However, the technique has sparked fierce debate with the Catholic and Anglican Churches in England saying it was “unethical.”

David King, from the campaign group, said: "Once you cross the ethical line, it is very hard not to take the next step of designer babies.

"All our experience says we are pushed down slopes by thousands of people who are paid to make sure we go that way."

Dr Gillian Lockwood, a reproductive ethicist, told the BBC it was a "small change" in the legislation.

"The biggest problem is that this has been described as three-parent IVF. In fact it is 2.001-parent IVF," she said.

"Less than a tenth of one per cent of the genome is actually going to be affected. It is not part of what makes us genetically who we are.

"It doesn't affect height, eye colour, intelligence, musicality. It simply allows the batteries to work properly."

Around 2,500 women in the UK are affected by mitochondrial diseases and could benefit from using the technique.