Asia

Abstract

Abstract This chapter examines the social implications of experimental reproduction involving mitochondrial manipulation in China, Japan, Singapore, and Taiwan. Since 1999, mitochondrial transfer from donor eggs or the patient’s cells to patients’ infertile eggs was performed several times. However, in some cases miscarriages and fetal deaths occurred, raising ethical concerns. In 2003, mitochondrial replacement between an infertile couple’s embryos and embryos created using donor eggs was performed in China. This resulted in no live births and was immediately prohibited. In 2015, the United Kingdom legalised mitochondrial replacement to prevent mitochondrial disease in offspring, prompting Singapore to consider regulatory action. Mitochondrial manipulation could be a reproductive option for parents who value genetic relatedness in the family; however, this experimental technique might harm the offspring. Nonetheless, mitochondrial manipulation was perceived differently in the four countries studied here, probably due to differences in politics and in globalisation, rather than in religion and teaching.