Health Minister Greg Hunt has made an impassioned plea to parliament to pass a bill legalising partial DNA donations capable of stopping debilitating and deadly disease in babies.
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Mr Hunt on Wednesday introduced to parliament a bill allowing "three-parent IVF" to treat mitochondrial disease.
Labor, Liberal and Nationals MPs will have a free vote on the bill, given that some members and senators have previously opposed laws that allow genetic modifications.
"Here in Australia each year around 56 children are born with a severe form of the disease - this equates to approximately one child per week," Mr Hunt told parliament.
"The tragic prognosis for these children and their families is that many will pass within the first five years."
The bill - known as Maeve's law - is named after five-year-old Maeve Hood, the daughter of Joel and Sarah who live in Mr Hunt's Victorian electorate.
Maeve has a severe type of mitochondrial disease which was diagnosed at 18 months.
"She is bright, she is bubbly, a beautiful young girl, but she suffers from the most challenging of medical issues," he said.
"Maeve is thankfully still with us but her family still lives with daily uncertainty about the future."
Joel Hood said it was an important day for the family.
"Every day with Maeve is a blessing, and today her life has even more meaning by helping to reduce the risk of other families all around the country from passing mito onto their children," he said in a statement.
Mito Foundation chief executive Sean Murray said politicians from all parties had been very supportive.
"We look forward to continuing to work with all parliamentarians on ensuring this bill becomes law," he said.
The rare disease passes on DNA mutations to babies, but mitochondrial donation can provide a way for children to be born unaffected.
The most serious symptoms affect one in 5000 babies, with the disease potentially causing strokes, hearing and sight loss, and the inability to walk, eat, swallow or talk.
It can also lead to liver disease, diabetes, heart, respiratory and digestive problems and intellectual disabilities.
The treatment involves replacing mitochondrial DNA from the mother with healthy mitochondrial DNA from the egg of a woman who is a donor.
Australian Associated Press
