Ethical Responsibility? Appeals to Scene, Agency, and Agent as the Denial of Ethical Choice in Bush's Embryonic Stem Cell Addresses

Author:

• Veronica Koehn (University of Denver)

Abstract:

Through combining Burke's cluster and pentad tools to analyze Bush's 2001 embryonic stem cell addresses, it becomes apparent that Bush is denying agent status to the very people who could possibly benefit from the research, which leads to a discussion of contemporary ethical theories in communication studies, an assessment of how Bush falls short of ethical communication, and suggestions for an alternative ethical framework for understanding the rhetoric of President George W. Bush.