Preconception Expanded Carrier Screening: A Discourse Analysis of Dutch Webpages

Area of Science:

• Genetics
• Bioethics
• Health Communication

Background:

• Preconception expanded carrier screening (PECS) provides vital information to prospective parents regarding heritable genetic conditions.
• Websites are increasingly important resources for understanding PECS.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the underlying rationalities and discourses presented in information about PECS on Dutch websites.
• To identify how websites position prospective parents in relation to genetic screening.

Main Methods:

• Multimodal critical discourse analysis was employed.
• Publicly available website data from two Dutch genetics departments were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Three dominant discourses were identified: "risk and the couple as mediators of severe conditions," "focus on scientific facts and rational conceivers," and "severity of conditions and the responsible couple."
• The analysis revealed how websites frame PECS information, influencing perceptions of risk and decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Information on PECS must acknowledge the interplay between epistemology (knowledge) and ethics.
• An overemphasis on scientific facts in PECS information may render complex ethical and existential considerations invisible to prospective parents.