Complex Identities:
Unpacking the Story and Science of the “Three-Parent Baby”

Schools are places where children construct their identities…

Discussions of identity and sexuality should not be confined to health and sex education. I believe in open (and early) discussions of complex identities in science classrooms in particular. The emphasis here is on discussions and two-way dialogue between students and teachers, not a unidirectional transfer of knowledge from an “expert knower” to “naive children.” Let’s face it, children these days are not innocent and need protection, and they are by no means ignorant; what they need are adults who take them seriously and who are willing to involve them in complex discussions of important matters in a tolerant environment. Sexuality is prevalent in schools; one way it surfaces is through discussions or conceptualizations of family. Schools tend to embrace the image of a family consisting of a mother and a father; in other words, schools embrace heteronormativity, and by doing so, exclude or marginalize other valid, viable family structures.

The following articles present authentic opportunities for exploring complex identities in science classrooms. The case of the “three-parent baby” is an old one from 2015, when the UK story first broke. Since then, similar cases have emerged. All of the articles linked below provide recent but different ways of examining the story of the “three-parent baby”; they differ in that some way reference the original UK study, while others discuss other, more recent cases. A fun exercise may be to present the titles to students and having them formulate as many questions as they can. Two questions that may immediately surface are, “Who’s the third parent? What is the sex of that parent?”

Beyond fostering discussions of identity, these articles also surface ethics concerning genetic manipulation. This is very timely in our age of personalized DNA kits and widespread IVF treatments.

Article #1: “3 biological parents, 1 child, and an international controversy” by Radhika Viswanathan at Vox.com

Short excerpt from the article:

The story of mitochondrial replacement therapy shows how ethically tricky genetic manipulation is becoming… When scientists discover a new way to prevent disease or overcome infertility, they usually get applauded. But throw genetic engineering into the mix and it gets dicey fast. Genetic engineering in reproductive medicine is particularly scary because we’re talking about changing the genes of future generations. So any new technique is sure to incite controversy, especially in the United States. That’s what’s happened with a relatively new procedure that doctors have begun using to help couples avoid passing down genetic mutations that cause mitochondrial disease to their children. 

-Radhika Viswanathan

Article #2: “Three persons, three genetic contributors, three parents: Mitochondrial donation, genetic parenting and the immutable grammar of the ‘three x x’” by Rebecca Dimond and Neil Stephens of SAGE Journal

Excerpt from the abstract:

In 2015, two novel in vitro fertilisation techniques intended to prevent the inheritance of mitochondrial disease were legalised in the United Kingdom, following an intense period of inquiry including scientific reviews, public consultations, government guidance and debates within the Houses of Parliament. The techniques were controversial because (1) they introduced a third genetic contributor into the reproductive process and (2) they are germline, meaning this genetic change could then be passed down to subsequent generations. Drawing on the social worlds framework with a focus on implicated actors and discursive strategies, this article explores key features of the UK mitochondrial debates as they played out in real time through policy documents and public debate. 

-Rebecca Dimond and Neil Stephens

Article #3: “Her Son Is One Of The Few Children To Have 3 Parents' DNA” by Rob Stein of NPR

Excerpt from the news story:

Her name isn't really Tamara. She asked me to call her that to protect her family's privacy. She knows how unusual — and controversial — her baby might be to some people. Doctors at the Nadiya Clinic in Kiev, which created her baby, arranged for Tamara to become the first mother of a "three-parent baby" to give an interview to a journalist… Tamara's baby would have DNA from three different people: Tamara, her husband and the woman who donated the egg. But that didn't bother the couple.

-Rob Stein

Article #4: “It's a boy! First baby born with DNA from 3 parents” by Mary Brophy Marcus of CBS News

Excerpt from the news story:

In what experts are calling a “revolutionary” medical event, the first baby with DNA from three parents has been born. The little boy, now nearly six months old, was conceived using a controversial technique meant to help people who carry genes for fatal rare diseases. The procedure received widespread media attention when lawmakers in the U.K. became the first to approve its use last year. It is not approved in the U.S.

-Mary Brophy Marcus