UK researchers are working on new medical techniques that could allow women to avoid passing on genetically inherited mitochondrial diseases, to their children. These techniques, which are IVF-based, offer options for affected families. However they are also at the cutting edge, both of science and of ethics. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has launched this public consultation to gather your views on the social and ethical impact of making these techniques available to patients.