It’s been all over the news for the past few days: a discovery that within two years, could allow “same-sex parents” to both be genetically connected to their child. Most news outlets have neglected to mention one small fact, however: It will likely only work for two dads, not two moms.
Nature, a well respected scientific journal, reports that scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Weizmann Institute in Israel have discovered how to use skin stem cells from adults to make egg and sperm cells. It notes that “In principle, the process could even be used to derive egg cells from a man’s body” so that two men could create a biological child together (presumably with the aid of a female surrogate).
The researchers say that even for men, the possibility remains remote, Nature reports, adding, “Enabling two women to have biological children together seems even more remote, the authors add, because only men have the Y chromosome, which is essential for the production of sperm cells.”
Newsweek is one of the few non-academic news outlets (including most major news channels and many LGBTQ ones) that similarly noted these results only apply to men. Its article on the subject says that Dr. Jacob Hanna of the Weizmann Institute told them, “while the process is especially feasible for stem cells from two males, it would be more difficult using two women’s due to the added complexity of having to add a Y chromosome.”
A few publications, like London’s Sunday Times, caught the distinction in a headline, like “Cell breakthrough to bring two-dad babies,” but refer in the body of their articles only to “same-sex” parents and don’t explain why the research doesn’t also apply to women.
It’s intensely frustrating to me when the experiences of L, G, B, and T parents are conflated in places where they differ. The Daily Beast even goes so far as to head its coverage of the above discovery with the image of two moms and a kid. The journey for cisgender two-mom couples to have a child genetically connected to both of them will likely differ from that of dads, even if both are someday possible.
Even for two men, the process is still a ways from viability. Dr. Hanna said that they’ve reached the “progenitor cell state for sperm and egg” but have not yet achieved mature cells. The Sunday Times reports that he estimates scientists could use the process to create a baby in two years, although he is “not in favour of creating engineered humans and the social and ethical implications.” The technique could also be used as a treatment for men who are infertile because of certain conditions like childhood leukemia.
Although Newsweek was one of the few publications to clarify the differences for men and women, I have to criticize it, however, for raising not only the ethical issues involved with genetics (a relevant area of exploration here), but also the question of whether same-sex parents are as good as different-sex ones at raising children. That’s a very separate matter from genetic engineering. Some same-sex parents themselves may have concerns about genetic manipulation, even as they believe fervently in their ability to raise children. I also get more and more frustrated each time I see the question of same-sex parents’ abilities presented as if it’s still an open question that needs a balance of opinions in the press. At this point, it’s game over. Studies to the contrary remain flawed and many are connected to hate groups.
Let’s be clear, then: This is about genetics, not parenting ability. And it’s about a discovery that only seems a possibility (at least, based on this approach) for cisgender male couples, not for “same-sex parents” as a whole.