The Embryo Research Debate: Science and the Politics of Reproduction

This book provides an account of the events and public debate that took place between the commissioning of the Warnock Committee in 1982, to the 1990 passage of legislation that approved embryo research under certain conditions. In the 1980s, Britain experienced lively debates about whether human embryo research should be permitted and even considered a complete ban. The book traces the efforts of groups with different ideological and moral commitments to determine the future of embryo research in the UK, from initial mistrust and disapproval to permissibility. Mulkay examines discourses and rhetorical strategies in parliamentary debates and popular media to account for the success of the scientific community to gain approval of embryo research, albeit with restrictions and strict oversight. Among the strategies employed was the category of the pre-embryo, which ameliorated moral concerns about manipulating embryos as potential human beings.