Abstract
Preservation of progeny or lineage is one of the elements of maqasid al-sharī‘ah (higher objectives of Islamic law). Islam is very particular in matters pertaining to the health of newborns. Consequently, issues concerning female fertility and newborn defects caused by genetic diseases are discussed by Muslim scholars. These two health issues are caused by various factors including defects in reproductive organs and genetic problems inherited from the maternal or paternal side or even caused by mutations such as defective mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Assisted reproductive technology (ART) is a medical treatment developed to overcome fertility problems. Recently, this field developed an ART-based defective mitochondrial treatment therapy known as tri-parent baby technology (TPBT). The technology currently being studied involves two types of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) technique: pronuclear transfer (PNT) and maternal spindle transfer (MST). This TPBT could be of great benefit to mankind, including Muslims. However, for Muslims, this technology raises various issues including questions of ethics, morality and parental status. This article presents a brief background of the TPBT as well as challenges for Muslims arising from it. Initial feedback from an Islamic jurisprudential viewpoint is provided by highlighting and analysing scientists’ and current Islamic scholars’ research and insights on this issue.
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Notes
- 1.
Fusion activity involves the merging of two mitochondria organelles, forming a bigger organelle. See Detmer and Chan (2007).
- 2.
The outer membrane has many protein-based pores that are big enough to allow the passage of ions and molecules as large as a small protein. In contrast, the inner membrane has much more restricted permeability unlike the outer membrane. See Nature (2013).
- 3.
mtDNA molecules in a tissue that possess the same genotype are known as homoplasmy, while the existence of two or more mitochondrial genotypes is known as heteroplasmy. mtDNA mutations usually involve some part of the mtDNA of a tissue, organ, or individuals. Damage or mitochondrial disease will not happen if the number of mutant mtDNA did not reach the threshold or minimum level which varies depending on the affected tissue or organ. There are differences between homoplasmy and heteroplasmy mutant mtDNA heredity. In the case of impaired vision, for example, around fifty percent (50 %) of male babies with homoplasmic mtDNA mutations will experience the disease compared to only ten percent (10 %) in females, showing that nuclear genetic factors play a significant role in the expression of symptoms of defective mtDNA disease and are not solely subject to mtDNA factors. Heredity of diseases caused by heteroplasmy mutant mtDNA is more complex and difficult to be identified. See Tachibana et al. (2009). See also Taylor and Turnbull (2005).
- 4.
The number of mutant mtDNA in a child’s cells may change during the cell division phase and, in turn, change the phenotype; this is known as mitotic segregation. This rate change happens as early as the ovum stage and the fission during the embryogenesis stage. After conception, fission of the mitochondria (all of them originating from the ovum) will not happen until the 64-cell stage. During this stage, only three cells will develop into a foetus while the rest will go into the trophoblast. This mitotic segregation is what causes the patient of mtDNA symptoms to experience clinical changes growing up. See Poulton and Bindoff (2005) and also Dimauro and Davidzon (2005).
- 5.
Mitochondria are maternally inherited and all mtDNAs are sourced from the ovum during conception. Sperms contain mitochondria which are used to produce energy for their movements. However, the paternal mitochondria decompose after conception during the formation of male pronuclei in the fertilised egg. Thus, a woman carrying mutant mtDNA will pass it to her children (sons and daughters), but only the daughters will continue to pass the mutant mtDNA to their children. The symptoms of defective mtDNA disease will be expressed by both genders; although mutant mtDNA is inherited by all children, only in certain cases does it turn into a disease. See Nuffield Council on Bioethics (2012), p. 19.
- 6.
Licence has been given under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. See Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (2005).
- 7.
Islam is very strict in matters pertaining to the protection of progeny. This is evident through the provision of ʿiddah for women who are divorced or widowed. Among the main factors for why ʿiddah is established is to prevent the occurrence of mixed paternity between the former and the new husband. See Syh Noorul Madihah Syed Husin and Raihanah Azahari (2010).
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Bin Ibrahim, A.H., Rahman, N.N.A., Saifuddeen, S.M. (2016). Advances in Tri-parent Baby Technology: The Bioethical Challenge for Muslims. In: Kamali, M., Bakar, O., Batchelor, DF., Hashim, R. (eds) Islamic Perspectives on Science and Technology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-778-9_20
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