Biomedizin als sprachliche Kontroverse

The German verbs verwerfen, nicht implantieren or abtöten have the same denotations when used in reference to dealing with artificially-inseminated embryos; however, the meanings of these words are respectively different. The book examines, against the background of the debate about the introduction of pre-implantation diagnostics in Germany, the role of linguistic naming– so-called thematizations– in the public sphere. The study shows that these thematizations not only reflect linguistic controversy, but at the same time, precisely mirror the current societal debates.