The Protective Precautionary Principle: Safeguarding the Vulnerable in Genome Editing

This article provides the philosophical grounds for the Protective Precautionary Principle (PPP). This principle prioritizes protecting disadvantaged populations from the risks posed by new technologies, such as human heritable genome editing. I argue that the Protective Precautionary Principle is better suited for morally assessing applications of heritable genome editing than other formulations of the Precautionary Principle, including the Reasonable Precautionary Principle, the Rawlsian Core Precautionary Principle, and the Sufficientarian Precautionary Principle. The Protective Precautionary Principle permits heritable genome editing research only if it reflects a commitment to epistemic humility. Moreover, such research must avoid imposing significant risks on vulnerable populations unless substantial measures are in place to mitigate potential harms.