Denmark has first ‘saviour sibling’

Debate has been sparked in Denmark after a couple gave birth to the country’s first ‘saviour sibling’, which they hope to use as a donor for their older, seriously ill child.

Aarhus University Hospital has announced that a couple, whose son has a rare and potentially fatal disease, are now ready to transfer cells from their nine-month old baby’s umbilical cord into their older child.

“This is groundbreaking,” Dr Jakob Ingerslev of Aarhus University Hospital’s fertility clinic, told Jyllands-Posten newspaper. “It is the first time in Denmark that a child has been born that was conceived to supply the umbilical cord blood that could rescue a sibling.”

Ingerslev went on to say that the couple successfully conceived a child for the same purpose in 2009, but aborted the pregnancy when they discovered it had Down’s syndrome. The doctor said this decision proved the couple wanted another healthy child.

“They aren’t just looking for parts,” he said. “Otherwise, they would have kept the Down’s syndrome child.”

However, not everyone is as excited about the birth of Denmark’s first saviour sibling. Thomas Ploug, a member of the Ethics Council and an Aalborg University Copenhagen professor, told Jyllands-Posten that children should not be brought into the world under such circumstances.

“I understand the terrible situation of the parents and admire their efforts to help their child,” said Ploug. “But I am worried that this is another case that seems to question the value of individual human life and dignity. This does not rule out the legitimacy of creating a child for the sake of a sibling, but it is important that the parents are aware of the value of each child for its own sake.”

The sick child in Aarhus is now awaiting a transfusion of cells, taken from his baby brother’s umbilical cord, to be injected into his bone marrow.