Right now, gay individuals often have a very difficult time having kids with their partners. I often think about my sister in particular, who is gay, and what having kids will look like for her. Her options include same-sex adoption, assisted insemination, and IVF, all of which are lengthy and expensive processes. Not only are they often costly and extensive, but none of them allow my sister the opportunity to have a child with the shared DNA of the person she loves. Wouldn’t it be cool if her and her girlfriend could just have kids together like heterosexual couples? As of a few days ago, we now have hope that this could one day be the reality. Researchers at the Chinese Academy of Beijing were able to produce healthy mice offspring from same-sex female parents, giving hope to same-sex partners.
It is known that certain animals can reproduce asexually, not requiring the participation of the opposite sex. This begs the question, why are humans, or mice for that matter so different? Of course, we know that they are different for a multitude of reasons, one of which we have recently studied: imprinting. Males and females methylate their DNA uniquely often enhancing and silencing specific genes. Without the male imprinted DNA, embryo development is stunted.
Therefore, to create same-sex offspring scientists need to negate the effects of not having male DNA contribute to the offspring. Researchers used CRISPR to delete imprinted regions in the mother’s DNA that were stunting embryo growth. After doing this, 14% of the same-sex female offspring were able to survive, some of which were able to grow into adults capable of reproduction. Same-sex male parent’s embryos did not survive beyond 48 hours, indicating that the imprinting in male mice is more complex than in female mice in relation to embryo growth.
Of course, in human subjects, this would be an even more complicated process, not to mention the ethics debate of attempting to develop same-sex human embryos. However, research like this offers life-changing possibilities for same sex couples across the world. I hope this area of research continues to grow!
Barsouk, A. (2018, October 14). Same-Sex Mice Can Now Have Kids. Are We Next? Retrieved October 10, 2018, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/adambarsouk/2018/10/12/scientists-engineer-kids-from-two-moms-or-two-dads-at-least-in-mice/#52241b432ee4
Awesome Natalie! Very interesting read and sounds like we will need quite a bit more research to make this a possibility in humans. Thinking about the DNA from a same sex couple, specifically females, we could only produce female offspring from a female couple. Do you think this fact will raise any ethical concerns? Would this be considered a form of "choosing" the sex of the offspring? -BriannaN618
ReplyDeleteGreat Post!!! As a gay man I particulary found this post to be interesting. I would especially be course to see what future studies could be done to ensure that me and my future partner would be able to have a child that is genetically related to both of us. The only ethical debate that I could see arising come s from a religious standpoint. However, this is a great area to do further research .
ReplyDeleteReading your post sparked my interest, I wondered how else, other than IVF and assisted insemination, a same-sex couple could conceive a child. Doing some research, I came across an article by Douglas et. al., they suggested that through stem cell in vitro gametogenesis it may be possible. This technique involves one partner of a same-sex couple to use his/her somatic cell to create either a sperm cell or egg through somatic cell nuclear transfer or iPS cell technology. For example, in a female same-sex relationship, one of the partners will take one of her somatic cells and create a sperm cell from it and use it to fertilize her partners egg. In contrast, it would be the same process for male same-sex relationship, but they would need a surrogate to carry their child. In the case of female couples, they do run into the obstacle that their somatic cells do not contain the Y chromosome genetic material to create a sperm cell. Nonetheless, this could be the starting point for same-sex couples to have a chance at having a family using their own genetic make-up.
ReplyDeleteDouglas, T., Harding, C., Bourne, H., & Savulescu, J. (2012). Stem Cell Research and Same-Sex Reproduction. New Frontiers in Science & Ethics, 207–228. https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814374255_0009
@Sydney, I definitely think we would see enormous pushback from the religious community, as this would likely be seen as far more controversial than gay couples simply adopting children (an already contentious subject in the US). I think we are approaching a truly bizarre point, though, where the possibilities to create and raise offspring will far outpace the ability of our larger society to adapt its norms. What is scientifically possible is absurd by conventional social standards of how and why to have children, but I hope that the next generation of kids sees this as a good thing. As a possible byproduct of these advances in reproductive technology, it might also further social equality for women by lessening their longstanding burden to birth, nurse, and raise children. I just hope men can step up their child-rearing game and show that they are worthy to be considered womens' equals.
ReplyDeleteNatalie, this is such as interesting topic that encompass a lot of ethics! Although it seems obvious that research would be moving in this direction, I didn't know anything about this currently happening! I think that Bri brought up a really great point about how the current research is only showing the potential for female offspring. There will surely be a large amount of debate that comes from same sex produced babies. There is already been so much ethical concerns around heterosexual couples being able produce "designer babies" via CRISPR and other gene editing techniques, so I can only imagine the backlash that the LGBTQ community will receive in this regard. I think that there will also be the controversy around germline editing in general. However, I think research into same sex reproduction is important to the changes we are seeing in today's society. Every couple deserves to have the chance to produce a child that is genetically related to both parents!
ReplyDeleteNatalie, I think this topic extends beyond science but to biomedical ethics since it is underrepresented in science literature today. I think further research in same-sex reproduction is a necessity and should be an ethical obligation of the science community in affording same-sex couples the same right as heterosexual couples to offspring with shared DNA of both parents. Even if evidence-based medicine determines that there are negative effects with methods of producing offspring related to both same-sex parents, we still owe it the community to research these avenues and make the determination of whether or not this is an option.
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