Mexico and mitochondrial replacement techniques: what a mess.

Background: The first live birth following the use of a new reproductive technique, maternal spindle transfer (MST), which is a mitochondrial replacement technique (MRT), was accomplished by dividing the execution of the MST procedure between two countries, the USA and Mexico. This was done in order to avoid US legal restrictions on this technique.

Sources of data: Academic articles, news articles, documents obtained through freedom of information requests, laws, regulations and national reports.

Areas of agreement: MRTs are new reproductive techniques that present novel ethical and legal challenges, since genetic material from three people is employed to create a child.

Areas of controversy: Could the first MST procedure that culminated in a live birth negatively impact reproductive medicine in Mexico?

Growing points: The USA and Mexico need specific and clear legislation on MRTs, in order for such techniques not to be governed by prior existing legislation on assisted reproduction that is inadequate for dealing with the new challenges that these techniques present.

Areas timely for developing research: There is a pressing need for work to be done on the international governance of new reproductive techniques.