Talking embryos: changing public perceptions of embryo research
18:30 - 19:30 | THURSDAY 9 MAY 2024 | The Royal Society, Carlton House Terrace, London and online
Professor Sarah Franklinwas one of the first social scientists to conduct in depth qualitative research into public perceptions of IVF and embryo research in the 1980s, and she has continued to research this subject for over 4 decades.
In this lecture Professor Franklin closely examined the evolution of public debate over embryo research during that period, identifying specific causal factors that have shifted public opinion, focussing on how we might characterise these changes sociologically. In turn, the lecture argued for a closer relationship between translational biological research and the social sciences, and further, that the interdisciplinary study of IVF offers a unique opportunity to achieve this goal.
Professor Franklin was awarded the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Medal and Lecture in 2023 for her research into, and advocacy for, the social aspects of new reproductive technologies.