Opportunity, Obligation, Risk – The Representation of Preimplantational Genetic Tests in the Hungarian Online News Media
Opportunity, Obligation, Risk – The Representation of Preimplantational Genetic Tests in the Hungarian Online News Media
Author(s): Eszter KádárSubject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Media studies, Politics and communication
Published by: Budapesti Corvinus Egyetem Szociológia Doktori Iskola
Keywords: science communication; discourse analysis; reproductive technologies; human genetics; public understanding of science
Summary/Abstract: Preimplantational genetic tests (PG tests) used in the processes of reproduction under laboratory conditions are considered to be one of the most controversial fields of gene technology. These tests are performed on embryos and result in the selection of the most capable embryo, while the rest are destroyed. Numerous moral questions arise regarding the ethical application of these procedures. This study investigated the representation of this topic in the Hungarian online media, applying (qualitative) Foucauldian discourse analysis. The results suggest that the narratives related to the topic can be organized according to their subjects around three discourses: those surrounding parents, those surrounding the embryo, and those surrounding the application of PG tests. It was also revealed that narratives of risk, responsibility and the freedom of autonomous decisionmaking play an important role in constructing the representations of PG tests in the Hungarian online news media.
Journal: Corvinus Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
- Issue Year: 8/2017
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 48-70
- Page Count: 23
- Language: English