The Women's Bioethics Project will be conducting a series of online focus groups examining the bio-ethical implications of the recently released “X-Men: The Last Stand.” Plot outline: A “cure” for mutancy threatens to alter the course of history. For the first time, mutants have a choice to retain their uniqueness, though it isolates and alienates them or give up their powers and become human. Directed by Brett Ratner.
If you would like to participate, please email bookclub@womensbioethics.org with your name, age, gender, and geographical location. We need your demographic information to be sure we have a representative sample but all responses will be compiled without attribution. The groups will be held mid-July and the results presented to the WBP advisory committees and state legislators bioethics working group. Please consider participating in this important project. Incentive: WBP coffee mug to all participants.
[Submitted by Kathryn Hinsch]
Keith – you are absolutely right – my posting must appear a little random. Blogs are better places to recruit focus group participants than to roll out strategic plans to influence public policy (note: so far we have had a great response and would welcome more focus group participants.)
ReplyDeleteWe are in the process of writing a comprehensive review of public perceptions of genetic engineering. We are starting with popular fiction (see our recent bioethics book club project) and moving to recently produced films. We are looking at that because that’s where people are often first exposed to the issues (sadly, The Hasting Center Report has a circulation of under 10,000 – not much compared to People Magazine.)
State legislators are very interested in learning about the results of our analysis because this is the reality their constituents experience and the context in which they evaluate legislation.
If you are interested, would love your help in formulating our focus group questions as well as feedback on the final analysis. Thanks for, as always, calling it like you see it.
Kathryn Hinsch