Net Zero advocates propose ticks to induce red meat allergy as climate solution sparking backlash

 Welcome to the fear factory. Welcome to the pantomime. Welcome to total madness being delivered here in the pantomime. Just like the unpopular school bully who has to resort to underhand tactics to get its own way ....

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Two ethics professors at Western Michigan University’s Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine, Parker Crutchfield and Blake Hereth, have ignited outrage with a peer-reviewed paper proposing the deliberate promotion of ticks to trigger alpha-gal syndrome (AGS)—a red-meat allergy—to reduce meat consumption and combat climate change. Published in Bioethics, their “Beneficial Bloodsucking” argument frames AGS as a “moral bioenhancer,” asserting that inducing allergies to cattle, pigs and lambs could ethically “prioritize planetary health over personal choice.” The controversial stance has drawn sharp criticism, with opponents calling it a dangerous confluence of pseudo-science and ideological overreach.

Crutchfield and Hereth argue that since consuming meat is “morally impermissible” due to climate impacts, policy should support proliferating lone star ticks (the primary vector for AGS) to deter meat-eating by causing allergic reactions. They advocate genetic editing of ticks to enhance their ability to transmit alpha-gal, the sugar molecule in tick saliva that triggers AGS. The paper states: “If promoting tickborne AGS prevents the world from becoming a significantly worse place, it is pro tanto obligatory.”

The idea hinges on three premises: It avoids infringing rights, promotes “virtuous” behavior (meat reduction) and combats climate change. However, critics dismiss these claims as reckless, noting AGS’s severe health risks. Unlike food allergies alone, AGS can cause fatal reactions to common medications containing alpha-gal, such as the cancer drug cetuximab and the anticoagulant heparin. At least 10 deaths linked to alpha-gal reactions have been recorded, most via medical products—not food....<<<Read More>>>...