Opportunity, obligation, risk – The representation of preimplantational genetic tests in the Hungarian online news media

Abstract

Preimplantational genetic technologies (PG technologies) 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 destroying the rest. Several 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 objects around three discourses: discourses surrounding parents, discourses surrounding the embryo, discourses surrounding the application of PG technologies. It was also revealed that narratives of risk, responsibility and freedom of autonomous decision play important role in constructing the representations of PG technologies in the Hungarian online news media.