Fiona Coyle

23rd January 2009

Politicized debate: scientists, policy-makers,

politicians, religious bodies, pro-life groups,

patients and „the public‟

„The public‟: unproblematically constructed

Alternatively, publics as „active, knowledgeable,

playing multiple roles, receiving as well as

shaping science‟ (Edna Eisnedel)

Discrepencies between „everyday talk‟ and

shaping by mass media/stakeholders

Present diverse/competing views (public discourses)

from 2003 NZ-based research

Focus groups/interviews – „utilising a five day embryo to

extract stem cells that might be used in the treatment of

Alzhemier‟s Disease‟

Argue that complex responses simplified via

construction of different versions of a „virtual public‟

Virtual public mobilised and performed in event spaces of

stem cell debate for political purposes

Virtual public – any fixed, written or verbal construction of

subjectivity - freeze-frames the real into the virtual in time

and space

Cardiff University: UK, USA and New Zealand press,

covering various spaces, 2000-2006

Interviews, focus groups, consultations, large scale

surveys such as the Eurobarometer and opinion polls

Plays, citizen panels, deliberative mapping

techniques, dialogic conversations, roundtable

conferences, vignette studies, public debates and

online discussion forums

Majority in favour of eSCR, pref for adult SCR

Concerned: pro-life, miscarriage/abortion,

religious

Issues involved in making these decisions? What

attitudes and values come into play and how

clear-cut are people‟s views?

Research that benefits the young over the old

Beyond our „natural‟ lifespan

Inequalities - donated for ££ but can‟t afford

Previous experiences of biomedical error

Little or no a-prior knowledge about non-e-SCs

Pluripotence of e-SCs

Altruism and potential for scientific advance

Positively inclined towards research

Religious/spiritual beliefs

Concerns over natural/unnaturalness

To me, because it has the potential for life, its already living, to me it has a soul, it‟s an existing being. And if left, if it was in a womb, it would grow into a person. I think that it would be entirely, incredibly selfish of a person with Alzheimer‟s to take the life of. I know, personally, if I had Alzheimer‟s, I could never justify it in my heart to do that to.

Spiritual male [Buddhist/Christian/Maori], early thirties

The Indian mythology says that even if the baby is not born, when it is developing in your body, it can understand and it can hear you. So – it‟s like exploiting a life, which has not even seen the world.

Asian female, scientist, Auckland focus group

(comment on embryonic stem cell research from focus group)

So the question is, how does one live with integrity, honesty, compassion, healing, when you know darn well that they are doing something at the expense of other beings. So the idea that you could not do harm in the world or not kill is a fantasy. So then the question comes up, how can I live a life that can somehow redress this? It‟s almost as if, I‟m going to cause suffering in the life of this being so that I can go longer. How can I justify my being?

Buddhist male, early sixties

Played out in a complex web of social, cultural,

political and economic factors

Emotionally pulled in multiple directions by

competing contexts or value-systems - views

are torn, conflictual and context dependent

Discomfort at destruction of an embryo vs

acceptability of the „naturalness‟ of treatment

Following „natural‟ process of life and death vs fight it

with stem cell cures

Making a rational or emotional decision

„I don‟t think I‟ve really resolved that in my

mind…intuitively, I have a problem with using

embryos to treat people because in my mind they

are kind of like babies, so to me, it‟s a slightly

grotesque idea. It makes me feel uncomfortable

and there‟s no real rational reason for that…In my

mind I imagine this to be a baby, even though it isn‟t

really a baby, it‟s just a blob of cells…Its kind of, my

emotional response is it‟s a baby, but my intellectual

response is that it‟s not. And I find it hard to

reconcile those two sides of myself‟.

Spiritual male, mid twenties

Can‟t make a decision unless „walked a mile in someone else‟s shoes‟ (Eureka Strategic Research, 2005)

There was work being done on mice with regards to being able to repair damaged spinal cord. Now my father who spent many years in a wheel chair, would have been absolutely thrilled with that. And I reckon he would have gladly grown a tail if it meant he was able to walk again! And it just seems that it would be so precious to not allow these sort of gains to at least be investigated because it‟s perceived to be unnatural‟.

Atheist male, early fifties, Waimate focus group, New Zealand

Diverse publics are „virtual publics‟ – flexible techniques, but still sifted through the research lens and frozen in time and space

eSC debate: scientists, politicians, pro-life groups,

religious bodies and patient groups

Virtual „public‟, „people‟, „citizens‟, „taxpayers‟ and

named/anonymous individuals

„emotional‟, „hostile‟ and „irrational‟

„abhorrence‟, „public revulsion‟, „hysteria‟, „horror‟

and „yuck‟ factor

Academic research on publics noted for its

absence

Rare presence in the media both deliberate

and significant

Who utilises the public and in what shape and form?

When are various constructions of the public enlisted

as actors in the stem cell debate?

In which „event spaces‟ of the debate are the public

referenced?

What purpose does this mobilisation serve?

UK – 2000 Donaldson Report and parliamentary vote

Experts, MPs, journalists and stakeholders conjured

up images of an anxious public

Confusion - rapid technological development and

inappropriate science communication/guidance:

„miracle cures‟ just around the corner

„Public anxiety needs to be dealt with in an open and

sympathetic way. The public must be shown openly

and to its satisfaction that rigorous ethical guidelines

are put in place‟ (Liam Fox, Parliament – Science: Blair

backs move to allow human embryo research, The

Independent, 20th December 2000).

New Zealand similar scenario after GE debate

Hon Bill English, this „is about a whole new world

around which there is emotion and hysteria‟ (Bill

English, National, Clutha-

Southland, Hansard, 20th October 2004).

MPs as ethical guardians of public interest

Power and sway, August 2001 to GWB

Critical announcement – federal funding for eSCR

Ranch politicised, hospitable/accessible to US citizens

National address: public education talk on ethical issues on national airwaves

„Posturing‟ as the people‟s president – denounced opinion polls, based decision on discussions with Aides

„Vox pop‟ interviews on the street, mass

demonstrations, cyberspace,

Traditional to UK media, but rarely used

NZ absent, USA interviews with South Korean market traders

Individual representative residents, specific question, legislative moments/scientific breakthroughs or controversies

Selection to polarise debate or denote need for public education

2004 Radio 5 transcript, Alison Murdoch after granted license to therapeutically clone embryos.

Scene-setting introduction, „a quick reaction from the people of Newcastle‟ – range of views = need for public education

‘Newcastle resident #1

Well, I would support cloning if it was to help cure disease, but I‟d be a bit uncomfortable about what might happen next; where it might go from there. We might end up with little monsters [laughs].‟

Newcastle resident #2

I‟m in favour of anything that‟s going to develop medicines that‟s going to help mankind. I think, as far as this question goes, we have this suspicion that the scientists and the scientific world is not open about what they’re doing, in layman‟s terms. It‟s what they‟ve all got to do.

Newcastle resident #3

Me gut feeling would be to say “no”, because I don’t know enoughabout it, you know. If the media was to come up with a lot more, in the papers, and things like that, then maybe “yes”.

Newcastle resident #4

I think the trouble today is that the media tend to be dominated by single issue groups who are pushing a particular interest, and the public haven’t been sufficiently educated, scientifically, to understand what‟s going on.

Link: „So, most people would like to know what‟s going on‟

Addressed: by Alison Murdoch, agreed that „some of those comments that those people have made clearly indicate that we haven‟t got the message over‟ (BBC Radio 5, 11th August 2004, 16:05)

Forum: radio show

Setup: public comments attract listeners

Deficit public – range of opinions actually deficit, unsure, education lacking, suspicious of media, scientists, BUT potentially pro research and demanding education from media

In support of fallen hero, Hwang Woo Suk, utilised

embryos derived from his female researchers and

faked some of his results

Embodied performance of national support for

hero

Women wearing the national flower of Korea

demonstrated outside SNU, holding placards

saying, 'Cheer up, Professor Hwang!' („Focus:

Cloning scandal: disgrace’, The Observer, 1st

January 2006)

Emotive, individual postings

Virtually demonstrated support for what

Hwang tried to achieve, even if unethical

But like all disgraced heroes, Hwang still has his defenders. One wrote on the „I Love HWS‟ website: „I believe in HWS. . . whatever happened, whatever happens, whatever may happen. . . for he showed me the way how to live as a good Korean.‟ (‘Focus: Cloning scandal: disgrace’, The Observer, 1st January 2006).

US press – Hwang humanised; humble beginnings, worked earnestly, religious values = American dream

Public anger directed at PD Notebook

„On Saturday, President Roh Moo Hyun [of PD Notebook] posted a statement on his Web site saying that ''the public‟s response went too far.'' But hours after his message, about 50 people started a candlelight vigil in front of the MBC studios‟. (‘South Koreans Rush to Defend Cloning Researcher Against Criticism’ The New York Times, November 29, 2005).

US likely continuation of story; UK journalists used to suggest we‟d all been fooled by Hwang and promise of stem cells.

Brief snapshot of complex responses of diverse

publics

Particular research framework, conducted, taped,

transcribed, analysed and transformed into a MS

Powerpoint document - „virtual publics‟.

„Virtual publics‟ ≠ multiple versions of the „virtual

public‟

The „virtual public‟ simplified, mobilised, performed

by journalists, politicians, experts and policy-

makers

Different spaces of debate, but always for a

political purpose