Couple tell of delight at baby decision
A Northern Ireland couple were tonight celebrating the decision of the British Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority to broaden its rules on “designer babies”.
Joe and Julie Fletcher, whose two-year-old son Joshua could benefit from the new policy, toasted the decision over a glass of champagne.
Mr Fletcher said the news had come as a great relief.
“It is great news. It’s just exactly what we needed.”
The Co Down fireman said the case of Joshua, who suffers from a rare blood disorder, had forced the HFEA to review its policy.
“This is a change in the rules. It isn’t a judgment on our case. What we need is for them to say: 'Yes. You have passed the criteria and can now proceed.'
“That will come hopefully within a few short weeks and we will start along the road. Tonight’s decision opens up the door for us.”
He added: “It was our case that forced them into looking at it because all the press and medical people were behind us and against the HFEA’s previous stance.”
Mr Fletcher said the family would now be discussing their next move with their doctor, top fertility expert Dr Mohammed Taranissi, who applied to the HFEA for a test case licence application.
Joshua, who suffers from Diamond-Blackfan anaemia, needs a transplant of stem cells from a genetically matched donor.
Neither Mr and Mrs Fletcher nor their five-year-old son Adam were close enough matches to allow for a transplant to go ahead.
Tonight’s decision should allow them to press ahead with the process of screening embryos created during IVF treatment.
The plan is to create up to 12 embryos using in vitro fertilisation and then use pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) to select those with the right HLA genes – the genes that decide a person’s tissue type.
