To the Editor: In March 2021, the federal Parliament introduced a bill to legalise the use of the reproductive technology known as mitochondrial donation in Australia.1 Mitochondrial donation would be offered initially at a single trial clinic and, eventually, it would be made more widely available. The aim is to provide at‐risk women with the opportunity to have a genetically related child who is unlikely to develop maternally inherited mitochondrial disease. Legalising mitochondrial donation would have meaningful benefits for such women. However, as the bill currently stands, its implementation raises unresolved ethical and legal issues.
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- 1. House of Representatives, Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia. Mitochondrial Donation Law Reform (Maeve’s Law) Bill 2021. https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/r6697_first‐reps/toc_pdf/21043b01.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf (viewed Jan 2022).
- 2. Alikani M, Fauser BCJ, García‐Valesco JA, et al. First birth following spindle transfer for mitochondrial replacement therapy: hope and trepidation. Reprod Biomed Online 2017; 34: 333–336.
- 3. Australian Government Department of Health. Legalising mitochondrial donation in Australia: public consultation paper. https://consultations.health.gov.au/strategic‐policy/mitochondrial‐donation‐in‐australia/supporting_documents/Mitochondrial%20Donation%20%20Public%20Consultation%20Paper.pdf (viewed Jan 2022).
This project is being conducted with funding received from the Australian Government via the Medical Research Future Fund (Agreement #76744). The Mitochondrial Donation Ethical Legal Social Issues Group includes: Catherine Mills (Monash University), Chris Degeling (University of Wollongong), Karinne Ludlow (Monash University), Ainsley Newson (University of Sydney), Robert Sparrow (Monash University), Liz Sutton (Monash University), and Narelle Warren (Monash University).
No relevant disclosures.