When two men wish to raise a child together, they must either adopt, with neither of them having a biological contribution, or they can use an egg donor and surrogate, where only one of them will make a biological contribution.
But recent studies have shown that in the future, that might not be the case, the role of genetic regulators which decide whether an immature germ cell turns into a male or female cell can be manipulated.
In another words, it could be possible for stem cells from a male to be used to produce an egg, allowing an infant to have two biological fathers.
In the details of the process, primordial germ cells (PGCs) are the stem cells that are able to give rise to either sperm or egg cells. The body typically uses hormonal signals and certain transcription factors in order to determine whether to make the male or female germ cells naturally.
While SRY is the gene most widely known for its sex-determining function, the studies describe the importance of another SOX family gene, SOX17, which is another regulator of human PGC-like cells, and altering the gene can alter the fate of those cells.
Researchers may be able to manipulate this process and make it possible for two men to father a child without the need of an egg donor.
This could occur by taking PGCs from one father, manipulating SOX17 and inducing those cells to become fully functioning egg cells. The second father would then need to provide a sperm sample with which to inseminate the egg, though a surrogate would be required to carry the baby throughout gestation.
Of course, there is a laundry-list of logistical and ethical concerns before this can become a reality. Primarily, human genetic modification to this degree is a huge gray area, with many against the idea of “designer babies.”
Another barrier to this theory is those with prejudices against homosexual couples could block the development and implementation of this technology.
There is still a great deal of research that needs to be done before the time comes to decide how or if the technique will be implemented.