The Public Communication and Biopolitics of Human
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THE PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND BIOPOLITICS OF HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL RESEARCH IN THE UNITED STATES AND THE EUROPEAN UNION KALINA KAMENOV A A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE STUDIES IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE PROGRAMME IN SOCIAL AND POLITICAL THOUGHT YORK UNIVERSITY TORONTO, ONT ARIO NOVEMBER 2011 ABSTRACT This dissertation uses the methods of interpretive social science to explore the multidimensional nature of the stem cell controversy, its competing epistemologies, and types of resolution and policy closure that have been sought in the United States and the European Union. It provides a comparative perspective on the social dynamics of public involvement in stem cell research and evaluates efforts by governments and bioethics advisory bodies to integrate dialogue and deliberation in science policy and decision making. The analysis highlights the agenda-setting and framing roles of the print and electronic news media in the public discourse over stem cells and human cloning, including their ability to validate conflicting knowledge claims about stem cell science and frame uncertainty about its clinical promise. I argue that stem cell policy debates are deeply embedded in particular socio-political and cultural contexts, and therefore regulatory responses to the societal challenges arising from this biomedical innovation have largely been shaped by non-epistemic factors (considerations external to science and its episteniologies ). In the US, the issue of human embryonic stem cell research was right from the outset framed in terms of the contentious politics of abortion, became caught up in America's culture wars, and the funding policy debate revived salient political themes of earlier controversies over abortion and fetal transplantation research. By contrast, efforts by EU policymakers to develop a framework for the ethical governance of stem cell technologies and their applications in regenerative medicine were intertwined with fundamental questions of EU federalism, common European cultural values, and the traditional consensus-oriented politics. I claim that in both cases the moral and policy IV dilemma was brought to a conclusion by non-epistemic procedural closure. By sealing off the debate through legislative and administrative procedures, policymakers have failed to achieve a morally justifiable resolution of the issues central to the stem cell controversy either through the method of consensus closure or on the basis of epistemic (knowledge based) factors. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Most academics would not hesitate to characterize the writing of a doctoral thesis as a lonely, painful, and arduous process. They are obviously right-the completion of this dissertation was a Sisyphean task that required not just hard work and perseverance, but also the possession of all virtues of Gnostic asceticism. Yet, in many respects it was a truly transformative and empowering experience that taught me self-discipline, intellectual rigor, and most of all, self-reliance. I am undoubtedly indebted to advisors and colleagues at York University who encouraged me to write on such an inherently complex and interdisciplinary topic. First and foremost, I wish to thank my dissertation committee members, Dr. Lesley Jacobs, Dr. John O'Neill, and Dr. Aryn Martin, for their continuous support, guidance, and patience throughout the long process of research and writing. I was lucky enough to be supervised by remarkable professors who allowed me to work independently and whose insightful feedback on the earlier drafts helped me make this dissertation better. I am thankful to the external examiner, Dr. Colin Farrelly, for his comprehensive evaluation report and thought-provoking questions at the oral defense. Special thanks also go to two outstanding York professors on the examining committee, Dr. J.J. McMurtry and Dr. Duff Waring, for their thorough reading of the thesis and insightful comments. I am grateful to the SPTH Program office, and especially, the Graduate Program Assistant, Ms. Judith Hawley, for all administrative and emotional support during the years of PhD studies. Other professors I met at York University have encouraged my research and teaching endeavors. In particular, I would like to thank Dr. Brian Singer, Dr. Janine VI Marchessault, Dr. Susan Ingram, and Dr. Debora Britzman. Two professors have always inspired me to achieve academic excellenc.e-Dr. Arthur Redding, a true intellectual and an amazing teacher, whom I was lucky to have as an MA thesis advisor at the Central European University in Budapest and later on as a friend in Toronto, and Dr. Garry Leonard from the University of Toronto, the most brilliant professor I have ever met. My deepest gratitude goes to my family in Bulgaria-my father, my sister, my brother, my grandparents, my aunt, and my cousins. I am eternally grateful to all of them for their unconditional love, understanding, kindness, and support during many years of struggle and hardship. This dissertation is also dedicated to my closest friends who never lost faith in me and my ability to achieve my goals. A special acknowledgment goes to Silviya and Martin Lechner, Gergana Noutcheva, Millen Jissov, Marin and Valya Lessenski, Neda and Robin Jollimore, Angelina and Nikolay Atanasov, Aneta Mihaylova, Alexande·r Vessenkov, Igor Valentovich, Maria Davidovic, Marina Netiossov, Indrani de Silva, and Ana Vasic. Finally, I would like to thank the friendly staff at the Second Cup located at 537 Bloor Street West, just near Bathurst Subway Station. A great chunk of this dissertation was written at this moderately priced coffee spot in the Annex area of downtown Toronto. I have spent many winter evenings and nights there truly enjoying the comfort of writing while sipping a sumptuous Raspberry Dark Chocolate Latte or a Barista Crafted Perfect Cup of Cusco. Vil TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract .............................................................................................................................. .iv Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ....................................................................................................................... x List of Tables ...................................................................................................................... xi List of Acronyms ............................................................................................................... xii Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................ 1 Why Stem Cell Policy in a Comparative Perspective ..................................... 11 Defining the Public Interest .................................................................. 19 Rhetorical Challenges in the Stem Cell Debate ........................................... 31 Methodology and Chapter Outline .......................................................... 39 Chapter 2: The Science and Politics of Stem Cell Research .............................. .47 Biological Properties and Types of Stem Cells ............................................ 54 Clinical Potential of Embryonic Stem Cells ................................................ 57 Research on Adult Stem Cells ................................................................ 60 The Use of Cloning Technology in Stem Cell Research .................................. 63 Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells .............................................................. 67 Conclusions ..................................................................................... 70 Chapter 3: Religion and Ethics in the Stem Cell Controversy ........................... 74 Religious Perspectives on Stem Cells and Embryo Research ........................... 76 Religious Traditions and Scientific Knowledge ........................................... 91 The Diverse Ethics of Stem Cell Research ................................................. 98 Conclusions ................................................................................... 116 Chapter 4: Stem Cells, Media and the Public Sphere .................................... .119 Mass Media and Scientific Controversies ................................................. 127 Media Framing of the Stem Cell Debate ................................................... 139 Science, Mass Media and the Public Sphere ............................................. .150 Conclusions ................................................................................... 158 Chapter 5: The Biopolitics of Stem Cell Research ......................................... .161 Vlll Biopower and Biopolitics ................................................................... 171 Discourse Ethics and the Public Sphere .................................................. 176 The Embryo and the Self-Modification of the Species .................................. 190 Bioethics and Public Deliberations ........................................................ 196 Conclusions .................................................................................. 218 Chapter 6: Two Policy Alternatives ........................................................ .. 224 The U.S. Debate on Federal Funding ..................................................... 233 State Initiatives and Referendums .......................................................