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Rites of Passage: Discursive Strategies in the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill Debate

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  • Steven Kettell

Abstract

The transformational impact of the ideational turn in political science has been profound, but academic inquiry into the role of discursive strategies has remained limited. This article examines this issue through a study of the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. The debate surrounding the Bill was characterised by two competing discourses of ‘hope’ and ‘fear’. Established during previous debates over the regulation of research using human embryos, these contrasted the potential medical benefits to be derived with the social and ethical dangers of an unregulated science. This article deconstructs these discursive strategies and considers their impact on both the course of the debate as well as the mechanics of the Bill's passage through Parliament itself. It maintains that discursive and institutional contexts are mutually constitutive.

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  • Steven Kettell, 2010. "Rites of Passage: Discursive Strategies in the 2008 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill Debate," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 58(4), pages 789-808, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:polstu:v:58:y:2010:i:4:p:789-808
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9248.2010.00847.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Andrew Chadwick, 2000. "Studying Political Ideas: a Public Political Discourse Approach," Political Studies, Political Studies Association, vol. 48(2), pages 283-301, May.
    2. Kitzinger, Jenny & Williams, Clare, 2005. "Forecasting science futures: Legitimising hope and calming fears in the embryo stem cell debate," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 61(3), pages 731-740, August.
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    1. Teräväinen, Tuula & Lehtonen, Markku & Martiskainen, Mari, 2011. "Climate change, energy security, and risk--debating nuclear new build in Finland, France and the UK," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 3434-3442, June.

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