The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
The ethics of research involving animals - Nuffield Council on ...
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T h e e t h i c s o f r e s e a r c h i n v o l v i n g a n i m a l s<br />
kinds <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> and testing;<br />
■ an overview <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the way in which ethical issues have been c<strong>on</strong>sidered; and<br />
■ recommendati<strong>on</strong>s and c<strong>on</strong>clusi<strong>on</strong>s arising from the c<strong>on</strong>sensus statement, and the discussi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
scientific and ethical issues.<br />
II. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> structure and focus <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Report<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> focus <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this Report is <strong>on</strong> ethical issues raised by <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>involving</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>. After a more detailed<br />
introducti<strong>on</strong> (Chapter 1) and a descripti<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the past and present c<strong>on</strong>text <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the debate (Chapter 2),<br />
we present an outline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the ethical issues in Chapter 3. This chapter does not seek to explain or<br />
defend individual or collective positi<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Working Party but rather aims to provide<br />
the reader with an overview <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the kind <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong>s that are posed by animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>. Since the<br />
degree to which <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> involved in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> experience pain, suffering and distress is central to the<br />
debate, we explore philosophical and practical aspects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> assessing these states in <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> (Chapter<br />
4). Having provided this background we then describe a range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> different scientific uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
which includes basic <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> to understand how <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> develop and functi<strong>on</strong> (Chapter 5), the use<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> for the study <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> human disease (Chapter 6), genetic modificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in the study<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> disease (Chapter 7), the development <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> medicines and vaccines by the pharmaceutical industry<br />
(Chapter 8) and toxicological testing <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> potentially hazardous compounds for <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, humans or the<br />
envir<strong>on</strong>ment (Chapter 9). We c<strong>on</strong>sider the scope and potential <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> methods that seek to replace,<br />
reduce or refine animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> In Chapters 11 and 12. After an outline <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the regulatory c<strong>on</strong>text<br />
(Chapter 13) we resume the ethical discussi<strong>on</strong> in Chapter 14 and present the views <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Working<br />
Party, inviting readers to compare their own judgements in the light <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Report with that <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the<br />
Working Party. Our recommendati<strong>on</strong>s are presented in Chapter 15.<br />
Box 1: C<strong>on</strong>sensus statement by all members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Working Party (paragraphs 15.3–15.20)<br />
Research <str<strong>on</strong>g>involving</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> and other uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
It is important to c<strong>on</strong>sider the ethical issues raised by animal experimentati<strong>on</strong> in the wider c<strong>on</strong>text <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the other uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in society, and to take into account:<br />
■ the impact <strong>on</strong> the lives and welfare <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> that different uses have;<br />
■ the broader c<strong>on</strong>sequences if there were a ban <strong>on</strong> using <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in specific circumstances;<br />
■ a comparis<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the benefits arising from the different uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>; and<br />
■ the numbers <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> involved.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> involvement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> cannot be justified simply by the fact that <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> are used or abused in<br />
other ways. Each use requires special c<strong>on</strong>siderati<strong>on</strong>. Members <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the Working Party noted during their own<br />
discussi<strong>on</strong>s and in c<strong>on</strong>sidering resp<strong>on</strong>ses to the C<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong> that views <strong>on</strong> animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> were not always<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sistent with views <strong>on</strong> other uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>. Awareness that c<strong>on</strong>tradictory views are <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ten held simultaneously is<br />
an important first step in c<strong>on</strong>sidering the ethical issues raised by animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>.<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> benefits <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>involving</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
Historically, <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> have been used in a wide range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> scientific <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> activities that have provided many benefits<br />
to society, particularly in relati<strong>on</strong> to the advancement <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> scientific knowledge, human and veterinary medicine, and<br />
the safety <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> chemical products.<br />
Some <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> these advances might have been achieved by other means, although we cannot know this. Neither can we<br />
know what a world would look like in which animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> had never been undertaken. Hypothetically, there may<br />
have been other opti<strong>on</strong>s which could have produced acceptable levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> knowledge and healthcare. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se levels<br />
might have been lower than our current standards, but perhaps if society had deemed the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> for<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> as unacceptable, there would have been acceptance <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> greater limitati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>on</strong> scientific and medical<br />
progress. Alternatively, it is c<strong>on</strong>ceivable that equally good or better progress might have been achieved with other<br />
methods. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Working Party agrees that speculati<strong>on</strong> about whether or not acceptable standards in basic and applied<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> could have been achieved in the past by means other than the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> is less important than the<br />
questi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> assessing the c<strong>on</strong>sequences <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> c<strong>on</strong>tinuing or aband<strong>on</strong>ing animal experimentati<strong>on</strong> now.<br />
It is sometimes assumed that to end animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> would be to end scientific and medical progress, but such<br />
generalisati<strong>on</strong> is unhelpful. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> UK Government has resp<strong>on</strong>ded to changes in the moral climate by introducing policies<br />
that have ended some types <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> and testing in the UK. For example, the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> for the testing<br />
C<strong>on</strong>tinued<br />
XVIII