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Updated: Aug 16, 2025

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Genes drive organisms and slippery slopes.

David B Resnik1, Raul F Medina2, Fred Gould3

  • 1National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Research Triangle Park, NC, USA.

Pathogens and Global Health
|December 23, 2022
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Gene drives offer powerful tools for altering wild populations, but ethical debates often overlook long-term consequences. Slippery slope arguments, while not justifying bans, serve as cautionary tales for responsible gene drive technology development.

Keywords:
CRISPRGene driveethicsregulationslippery slope argument

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Area of Science:

  • Bioethics
  • Ecology
  • Genetic Engineering

Background:

  • Current bioethical discussions on gene drives for wild population alteration predominantly focus on short-term risks, governance, and public engagement.
  • Big-picture ethical considerations, often raised through slippery slope arguments in other controversial fields, have been underexplored in gene drive debates.
  • The significant potential of gene drive organisms to impact global biodiversity warrants a deeper ethical examination.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the application of slippery slope arguments within the ethical and policy discourse surrounding gene drives.
  • To evaluate the validity and utility of slippery slope arguments specifically concerning the use of gene drives for altering or suppressing wild pest populations.

Main Methods:

  • Examination of slippery slope arguments in the context of gene drive technology.
  • Ethical and policy analysis of gene drive applications for wild pest control.

Main Results:

  • Slippery slope arguments do not provide sufficient grounds for prohibiting the use of gene drives in wild pest populations.
  • These arguments, however, function as valuable cautionary narratives.

Conclusions:

  • Gene drive technologies necessitate careful consideration of appropriate versus inappropriate applications.
  • Long-term, cumulative, and emergent risks associated with gene drives in wild populations require thorough assessment and management strategies.
  • Protecting natural wilderness areas is suggested as a measure to preserve non-genetically engineered life forms for future enjoyment.