Australia is now the second country in the world to legalise mitochondrial donation, a ‘three-person’ IVF technique used to protect babies from rare mitochondrial diseases.  

On Wednesday night, legislation allowing a clinic to run a 10-year trial using the process passed through the Senate by a 20-vote margin, following a conscience vote.  

It was named Maeve’s Law after Maeve Hood (pictured), a child with mitochondrial disease who lives in the electorate of Minister for Health Greg Hunt.

Mitochondrial donation involves removing the mother’s nuclear DNA from a fertilised egg that contains faulty mitochondrial DNA and inserting it into a healthy donor ovum that has had its nuclear DNA removed.