Catherine and Charlie Mariethoz are the first couple in the UK to be granted the right to conceive a “designer” baby in order to create a “savior sibling.” The couple hopes to use the genes from this new child to help treat their 20-month-old daughter who is suffering from a severe illness.
Little Charlotte was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder when she was just 5 months old. Charlotte’s bone marrow cannot produce enough red blood cells for her body, which could lead to her falling into a coma. After undergoing 8 blood transfusions, her health has shown no improvement, and she faces the risk of developing other complications, including leukemia. Doctors have stated that she needs a stem cell transplant from a genetically matched donor in order to have any hope of curing her serious condition. Thus, the Mariethoz couple decided to have a second child to save Charlotte. To ensure that the new baby will have the appropriate genes to match Charlotte, doctors will use in vitro fertilization (IVF) to select a suitable embryo that is about 3 days old, which will then be implanted into the mother’s womb. Once the baby is born, doctors will collect stem cells from the baby’s umbilical cord and store them for 4 to 6 months before transplanting them to Charlotte.
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