A baby that has three parents has been born in Mexico, a science magazine revealed today.

The New Scientist magazine said the baby, Abrahim Hassan, is now five months told. His parents are Jordanian.

File photo.File photo.

His mother, Ibtisam Shaban, has Leigh syndrome, a disorder that affects the developing nervous system and would have been passed on in her mitochondrial DNA.

Two of her children have died as a result of inheriting the disease.

The New Hope Fertility Clinic of New York took the nucleus from one of Ms Shaban's eggs – containing her DNA – and implanted it into a donor egg that had its nucleus removed but retained the donor's health mitochondrial DNA.

Many scientists insist the term ‘three-parent baby’ is inaccurate as the significant DNA is still from two people.  

According to critics, the procedure is tantamount to genetic modification of humans or even "playing God". But supporters say it allows women with a particular type of genetic disease to have healthy children who are related to them. 

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