Gene Editing and the Non-Identity Problem of Potential Persons

Ethical discussions of gene editing generally presuppose that “whether or not a given embryo undergoes gene editing, this embryo will develop into the same person.” However, this presupposition does not hold. Because germline gene editing occurs earlier than the time at which the corresponding human individual begins to exist, the human individual involved in gene editing is potential. Our judgments of identity always proceed from some reference point, and we cannot talk about the identity of nonexistent things. For a potential person, the reference point for identity judgments is the properties and state at the moment it begins to exist. Therefore, any event that affects the properties and state at the moment a potential person begins to exist, including gene editing, will lead to the production of a different person. On this basis, the classic ethical claims about gene editing fail in their concern for the well-being of the edited individual.