ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses upon reproductive genetic technologies, particularly screening for genetic disease. I begin by considering the dominant discourse in relation to the provision of these services: individual choice. Picking up some of the themes of Chapter 2, I focus upon the ways in which a range of scholars and commentators present these technologies and the values that underpin them in stark contrast to the past. I also note that the focus upon choice at the point of use obscures the processes by which these technologies come to be offered in the first place, and the ways in which they are sustained. Just as the discovery discourse masks the processes by which things are discovered, the individual choice discourse masks the processes by which technologies are designed and implemented. To unpack these processes, I consider the case of Down’s syndrome screening in the United Kingdom, looking at who and what has shaped the decision to extend the availability of this form of screening. I end the chapter by considering what shapes women’s choices, to complete the picture of the social context of reproductive genetics. I note that their choices are shaped by the clinical circumstances in which they are made, but that women’s life experiences are also reflected in their decisions.
