"What do you think about genetic medicine?" - Facilitating sociable publicdiscourse on developments in the new genetics

An important aspect of any meaningful public discussion about developments in gene technology is the provision of opportunities for interested publics to engage in sociable public discourse with other lay people and with expe rts. This article reports on a series of peer group conversations conducted in late 1996 and early 1997 with sixteen community groups in Perth, Wester n Australia, interested in gene therapy technology. With the case of cystic fibrosis as a particular focus, and using background resource material as a stimulus for discussion, the participating groups explored a range of val ue issues arising from the new genetic medicine. This more discursive conte xt enabled participants to express a number of background or life-world con cerns about genetic medicine, concerns that are often obscured by the domin ant biomedical and bioethical discourses.