Representations of cloning in the public sphere.

• Author: Reid, Grace

This poster was presented at the at Genome Canada G[E.sup.3]LS Winter Symposium in Montreal, February 6-8. 2003.

Research Question

What are the social representations of cloning risks and benefits?

Methodology

Focus groups: In order to explore social representations in public perception, three focus groups were held in January 2003. The focus groups were composed of randomly recruited members of the general public from Calgary, Alberta.

Content Analysis

In order to investigate social representations in the media, Globe and Mail articles about cloning were coded and analysed from 1997, when Dolly was cloned, through to 2001.

Conclusions

Social Representations of Body Part Cloning

The Globe and Mail articles and the focus group participants shared the same hopes for body part cloning, but they differed regarding concerns.

Social Representations of Animal Cloning

Both the Globe and Mail articles and the focus group participants recognized that there are both benefits and risks for animal cloning. They identified very different sets of benefits and risks. However, both agreed that cloning endangered/extinct animals would be a benefit and that genetic defects would be a risk.

Social Representations of Human Cloning

The Globe and Mail presented a balanced picture of the risks and benefits associated with human cloning, but the focus group participants clearly had limited hopes for this type of cloning--they saw it as mad science.

Focus Group Findings Body Part Cloning Animal Cloning Human Cloning HOPES HOPES HOPES The public identified Participants' main Participants made it two key hopes for body categories of hopes very clear that they part cloning: for animal cloning had no hopes for included: human cloning: * Increase in organs "I don't think this available for trans- * Expansion of scien- group is really plants. tific/medical know- hoping for human ledge. cloning. I might be * Curing diseases, generalizing, but such as Alzheimer's * Perfecting cloning nobody put human and Parkinson's. technique on animals cloning down as a before it is used on hope." humans. * Bringing endangered/ extinct species back to life. CONCERNS CONCERNS CONCERNS At first participants The two major concerns Participants had a said they had no raised were: lot of anxiety about concerns about body human cloning. They part cloning. However, * Genetic defects in identified seven main after a couple of cloned animals. categories of minutes of brain- concern: storming, the...