Personal Touch

          The whole reason I got into the topic of genetic engineering of humans was due to my cousin, Shauna. With genetic engineering, one of the disease related processes includes the treatment of infertility among women. They are able to go into the mitochondria of the woman, take out mitochondrial genes which are responsible for part of the embryotic development within an egg, test those genes, then re-insert mitochondrial genes with the desired DNA to allow fertility. Basically, they change the DNA within the mitochondria of the woman so that she can bear children. Shauna is, as of now, considered a high risk individual for infertility. She was the one to discover this treatment and is considering the process. When I researched further, I discovered that the part of the process where they re-insert the preferred mitochondrial DNA into the woman, it is not in fact just genes which are being inserted. They are the healthy mitochondrial genes from another woman. Her genes are then put into the developing embryos. So what it all comes down to is that the baby will form with the genes of two mothers and one father. I am worried about this for Shauna. What if her child has more of the looks of the "donate" mother? What if the child inherits more of the genetic makeup and psychological temperament of the other woman? When I told Shauna of this, she researched further and began to believe me. Avoiding the possibility of a child with different looks or behavior than her own or her husbands at all cost, she is pushing to  hopefully find another possible method. She told me if it comes down to no other way, she would be willing to take the risk just so she could be given the miracle of bearing a child herself, and not having to adopt.
Genetic engineering harbors many possibilities and beneficial procedures, including giving my cousin the chance to have children when not genetically capable.