英國國會下院批准三人DNA體外受精技術

LONDON — Despite warnings that a new ethical threshold was being crossed, British lawmakers on Tuesday voted to allow the in vitro creation of babies using the DNA of three people, a procedure that could prevent the inheritance of genetic diseases.

倫敦——儘管有人警告說，用三個人的DNA進行體外受精的做法，將會逾越一道新的倫理界限，但本週二，英國國會議員投票通過了這項可以用來防止遺傳病的技術。

The move would make Britain the first country to authorize an in vitro fertilization technique that involves altering a human egg or embryo before transferring it to the womb.

英國可能會成爲第一個批准這種體外受精技術的國家。這種技術先對人類的卵子或胚胎進行改動，然後將其植入子宮。

The issue provoked fierce debate, with some opponents likening the procedure to genetic modification and arguing that it would open the way to the creation of so-called designer babies.

這個問題引起了激烈爭論，一些反對者將這個方法和基因改造相提並論，認爲這會開啓“嬰兒設計”的大門。

Lawmakers in the House of Commons voted 382 to 128 in favor of the move, which still requires final approval from the House of Lords, the unelected upper chamber of Parliament. The House of Lords rarely rejects the decisions of its elected colleagues.

下議院以382票贊成，128票反對的結果通過了這項技術，但仍然需要獲得非民選的上議院的最終批准。上議院很少推翻民選的下議院議員的決定。

The vote came after a number of objections were raised, including the fact that other nations, including the United States, have not taken such a step.

在這項投票進行之前，已經有人提出若干異議，其中之一是包括美國在內的其他國家都沒有采用這一技術。

Describing the move as “bold” but “considered and informed,” the health minister, Jane Ellison, argued in favor of legalizing the procedure, which is designed to help women with mitochondrial diseases. Defects in the mitochondria — energy-producing structures outside a cell’s nucleus — can result in a range of complications, including muscular dystrophy and heart, kidney and liver failure.

衛生部長簡•埃裏森(Jane Ellison)說下議院的決定“很大膽”，但卻“經過了深思熟慮”，這項技術旨在爲患有線粒體疾病的女性提供幫助，她贊成將其合法化。線粒體位於細胞核之外，功能是產生能量，線粒體缺陷可能會導致一系列併發症，比如肌肉萎縮症和心、腎、肝功能衰竭。

An opponent of the change, Edward Leigh, a Conservative lawmaker and former minister, said before the vote that it was a “monumental decision.”

持反對意見的保守黨議員愛德華•利曾擔任過部長，他在投票前表示，這個決定的影響將會“極其深遠”。

“If we believe that, sadly, given the nature of the human condition, there are these appalling diseases, where do we stop?” he asked, calling for full clinical trials to determine the procedure’s safety and effectiveness.

“如果我們認爲，可悲的是，鑑於人類生存狀況的性質，人間存在着各種可怕疾病，那我們要在何處停手？”他問道。他還要求進行全面的臨牀試驗，以確定這項技術的安全性和有效性。

“We will be the first state to authorize this in the world,” Mr. Leigh added. “We will be in a unique position, and we should ask ourselves why no other state — not the European Union, not the U.S., yet — thinks this process is absolutely safe.”

“我們將成爲世界上第一個批准該技術的國家，”他還表示。“我們將處在一個特別的位置。我們應該問問自己，爲什麼歐盟、美國和其他國家都不認爲這項技術絕對安全？”

If it wins final approval, as seems likely, the technique is expected to be used only sparingly, and in the cases of women who have faulty mitochondria. The resulting embryo would have nucleus DNA from the child’s parents but mitochondrial DNA from a donor.

該技術最後獲得批准的可能性很大，如果真是如此，預計它只會少量應用在患有線粒體疾病的女性中。用這種技術產生的胚胎，必須從孩子父母的細胞核中提取DNA，但線粒體DNA則取自捐獻者。

Scientists say that the child would inherit the characteristics of the parent, other than the mitochondrial defect, rather than those of the donor.

科學家們說，除了線粒體缺陷之外，孩子將會繼承父母的特徵，而不是捐獻者的特徵。

They also say that the procedure is different from the one used to genetically modify foods, in which individual genes are usually selected to be transferred from one organism into another.

他們還指出，該技術不同於轉基因食品技術。後者通常是有選擇地把個別基因從一個有機體轉移到另一個上。

Tuesday’s vote was welcomed by Robert Meadowcroft, chief executive of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, who described it in a statement as a “milestone in giving women an invaluable choice, the choice to become a mother without fear of passing on a lifetime under the shadow of mitochondrial disease to their child.”

本週二的投票受到了肌肉萎縮症運動(Muscular Dystrophy Campaign)首席執行官羅伯特•麥道克勞夫特(Robert Meadowcroft)的歡迎，在一份聲明中，他稱該決定是一個“里程碑，爲一些女性提供了非常寶貴的選擇，讓她們可以成爲母親，而不必擔心把線粒體疾病遺傳給孩子。”

“There are currently no means to treat devastating mitochondrial diseases, which can cause muscle wastage, loss of vision, stroke-like episodes and a premature death,” the statement added. “Preventing inheritance, where possible, remains our only option, and that is why we have invested in and wholly support this pioneering technique.”

“線粒體疾病可以造成巨大痛苦，可能會導致肌肉萎縮、失明、卒中樣發作和早亡，目前沒有任何治療方法，”該聲明說。“我們唯一的選擇仍然是儘可能地防止把它遺傳給下一代，這就是我們爲什麼投資於這種開創性的技術，並全心全意地支持它的原因。”

Some groups opposed to the procedure, including Human Genetics Alert, had likened it to genetic modification. “Although food crops, bacteria and animals have been genetically engineered for the last 20 years, there has been a worldwide consensus, embodied in legislation in over 60 countries, that we should not attempt to do the same with human beings,” the group said on its website.

“人類遺傳學警報”(Human Genetics Alert)等組織反對這項技術，將它和基因改造相提並論。“雖然在過去20年裏，基因工程已經涉及糧食作物、細菌和動物，但我們不應該嘗試對人類做同樣的事情，這是一個世界性的共識，有60多個國家的立法都體現了這一共識，”該組織在網站上表示。

“This is because crossing this line would lead inevitably to a future of ‘designer babies’ and a new consumer-driven eugenics,” the group said.

“這是因爲，一旦逾越這條界限，將來就會不可避免地出現‘嬰兒設計’和消費者驅動的新型優生學活動，”該組織表示。

“There are also serious ethical objections to this procedure, which involves the destruction of human embryos as part of the process,” Bishop John Sherrington said in the statement.

“這項技術在倫理上也遭到了強烈反對，因爲它涉及破壞人類的胚胎組織，”主教約翰•謝林頓(John Sherrington)在聲明中說。

The Church of England argued that there should be “more time for consultation and research,” while adding that the church did not want to prevent people “from benefiting from a major advance in genetics and assisted reproduction.”

英國教會認爲應該“用更多的時間來磋商和研究”，同時表示，教會不想阻止人們“從遺傳學和輔助生殖技術的重大進展中獲益”。