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 />
evidence so far is inc<strong>on</strong>clusive (see paragraph 4.57). <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> GM approach may also lead to very<br />
c<strong>on</strong>siderable increases in fetal mortality, and high levels <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> ‘wastage’ <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> that fail to<br />
develop the desired mutati<strong>on</strong>s (paragraph 5.23).<br />
3.43 Alternatively, opp<strong>on</strong>ents to the GM approach might agree that the technique does not differ<br />
fundamentally from some forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> selective breeding, but c<strong>on</strong>sider that it amplifies the<br />
problem <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> deliberately interfering with a species’ genotype in ways that can cause harm. If<br />
these observati<strong>on</strong>s are correct, the moral discussi<strong>on</strong> then becomes focused <strong>on</strong> the extent to<br />
which genetic modificati<strong>on</strong>, and other forms <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> selective breeding, can be c<strong>on</strong>ducted<br />
without causing harm, as implied by the following resp<strong>on</strong>se to the C<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong>, which<br />
focuses <strong>on</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>sequences, 16 rather than the act, <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> modificati<strong>on</strong>:<br />
Sociability<br />
‘We…c<strong>on</strong>sider that it is unlikely that it matters, from the animal’s point <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> view, whether any<br />
state <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> suffering was achieved by genetic manipulati<strong>on</strong> or other means.’<br />
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals UK<br />
3.44 Another philosophical traditi<strong>on</strong>, influenced by philosophers such as Karl Marx, Ludwig<br />
Wittgenstein and Martin Heidegger, sees sociability as creating a level <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> moral c<strong>on</strong>cern.<br />
According to this traditi<strong>on</strong>, being a member <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> some form <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> complex community creates<br />
moral relati<strong>on</strong>s <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> rights and duties. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> basis <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> such a community might be language or a<br />
substantial dependence <strong>on</strong> others for extensive social, ec<strong>on</strong>omic or other reas<strong>on</strong>s. But, if this<br />
traditi<strong>on</strong> is not to be c<strong>on</strong>sidered equivalent to the view <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> higher cognitive capacities<br />
discussed above, simply with the additi<strong>on</strong>al observati<strong>on</strong> that these capacities develop<br />
through complex social interacti<strong>on</strong> such as language use, then it must be sociability itself,<br />
rather than socially developed attributes, that generates moral c<strong>on</strong>cern.<br />
3.45 This approach is plausible in that at least some rights and duties emerge in the c<strong>on</strong>text <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
social cooperati<strong>on</strong>. But the argument can be developed in more than <strong>on</strong>e way. One versi<strong>on</strong><br />
has been highlighted in the following resp<strong>on</strong>se to the C<strong>on</strong>sultati<strong>on</strong>:<br />
‘<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>re are…<str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> which have established links with us and come to share our lives and<br />
our fate in historically complex ways – particularly dog, cat and horse. I think these links<br />
should be respected, even if the <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> themselves have no knowledge <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> them or <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
their social and cultural significance. For, in disrespecting these links, we disrespect<br />
ourselves.’<br />
Roger Scrut<strong>on</strong><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> view that humans have special resp<strong>on</strong>sibilities towards beings that form part <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a<br />
community with them could also explain why some people have a special affinity for pets<br />
and working <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, and perhaps also why the A(SP)A requires special justificati<strong>on</strong> for the<br />
use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> such as cats and dogs (see paragraph 13.5).<br />
3.46 According to another versi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the approach it could also be argued that not <strong>on</strong>ly the<br />
relati<strong>on</strong>ship to humans establishes certain resp<strong>on</strong>sibilities, but also relati<strong>on</strong>ships that <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
have am<strong>on</strong>g themselves. This becomes perhaps most clear in c<strong>on</strong>sidering <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> such as<br />
primates. Since the species-specific capacities that these <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> normally develop also<br />
include complex social interacti<strong>on</strong>s with other <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, many argue that expressi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this<br />
behaviour is usually severely restricted in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g>. 17 Such infringements, it is feared, cannot<br />
be alleviated in the same way as physiological pain and suffering, the effects <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> which may<br />
16 Other issues relating to the c<strong>on</strong>sequences <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> producing GM <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> arise from the possibility that <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, such as<br />
rodents, fish or insects, may escape and interbreed with wild <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>, leading to potentially irreversible changes in the gene<br />
pool <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the species. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>se issues are outside the scope <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this Report.<br />
46