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 />
3.65 Sec<strong>on</strong>dly, in undertaking an ethical review <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> a <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> proposal in the light <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> available<br />
alternative methods, it can be useful to c<strong>on</strong>sider the reas<strong>on</strong>s why other alternative methods<br />
are not yet available. Although from a regulatory and practical perspective it may be<br />
reas<strong>on</strong>able to take into account <strong>on</strong>ly those opti<strong>on</strong>s that are currently available, this may be<br />
less acceptable for an ethical evaluati<strong>on</strong>. It could be argued that a proposal for which<br />
alternative methods exist in principle (but have not yet been sufficiently developed for use<br />
because <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>, for example, financial or other c<strong>on</strong>straints) should be deferred until the<br />
alternative method becomes available, in order to allow a comparis<strong>on</strong>. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> questi<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
opportunity costs is then raised: how much does it matter that <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> is delayed? It would<br />
seem that the answer to this questi<strong>on</strong> would depend primarily <strong>on</strong> the value <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
goal and the welfare implicati<strong>on</strong>s for the animal. <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g>re is also the more general questi<strong>on</strong><br />
about the value <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> scientific enquiry per se, and some people would argue that, in principle,<br />
no delays are ever acceptable.<br />
3.66 A related questi<strong>on</strong> c<strong>on</strong>cerning the possibility <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> delaying <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> to prevent the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> for some types <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> experiment is raised by the efficiency <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> alternatives. It may be the<br />
case that there are alternatives to specific <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> procedures, which refine or reduce 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> significantly, or replace it altogether, but which imply slower scientific progress.<br />
How should such opti<strong>on</strong>s be balanced in an analysis <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the costs incurred for <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> and the<br />
benefits <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>fered to humans? We examine these questi<strong>on</strong>s in Chapters 11, 12, 14 and 15.<br />
How does the justificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> relate to the justificati<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> for other uses?<br />
3.67 We have already noted the various ways in which humans interact with <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> (paragraph<br />
1.1). Comparing different uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> can be helpful in assessing more closely how<br />
specific morally relevant criteria, such as those c<strong>on</strong>sidered above, are valued in practice.<br />
Comparis<strong>on</strong>s usually carry with them the implicati<strong>on</strong> that the same criteria should be applied<br />
in comparable cases, and that similar cases should be evaluated alike. Two tendencies are<br />
comm<strong>on</strong> in making comparis<strong>on</strong>s:<br />
■ ‘Using <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> is justified because we also use <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in other c<strong>on</strong>texts’<br />
According to this view, a closer look at the way in which <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> are used in, for example,<br />
food producti<strong>on</strong> and sport reveals that a range <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> negative implicati<strong>on</strong>s for animal<br />
welfare in favour <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> human benefit are accepted by many people. Accordingly, the view<br />
might be taken that the use <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> approximately 2.7 milli<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> in <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> is relatively<br />
insignificant when compared to more than 950 milli<strong>on</strong> livestock and nearly 500,000<br />
t<strong>on</strong>nes <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> fish used annually for food producti<strong>on</strong> in the UK (Appendix 1), or when<br />
compared to the number <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> wild birds and mice killed by pet cats, which has been<br />
estimated to be 300 milli<strong>on</strong> per year. 27 <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> benefit to humans in using <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> as food<br />
entails primarily an increased range in dietary variety, while the benefits <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> animal<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> can c<strong>on</strong>sist in significant developments in scientific progress and human welfare.<br />
Hence prop<strong>on</strong>ents <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> this view assert that the latter use should be more acceptable.<br />
■ ‘Thinking about animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> poses more questi<strong>on</strong>s than it answers’<br />
Here, it is argued that c<strong>on</strong>cerns about animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> show that, ins<str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g>ar as other<br />
practices involve comparable degrees <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> pain, suffering and distress, they are in fact not<br />
as widely accepted as is sometimes claimed. Discussi<strong>on</strong> about animal <str<strong>on</strong>g>research</str<strong>on</strong>g> can thus<br />
enjoin us to reassess the basis <strong>on</strong> which we seem to accept other uses <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g>: is it<br />
27 <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> estimate by the Mammal Society that 300 milli<strong>on</strong> wild <str<strong>on</strong>g>animals</str<strong>on</strong>g> and birds are killed by domestic cats every year in Britain<br />
is based <strong>on</strong> a survey <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> the kill or capture records <str<strong>on</strong>g>of</str<strong>on</strong>g> 964 cats over a five-m<strong>on</strong>th period. See <str<strong>on</strong>g>The</str<strong>on</strong>g> Mammal Society (1998) Look<br />
what the cat’s brought in, available at: http://www.mammal.org.uk/catkills.htm. Accessed <strong>on</strong>: 15 Mar 2005.<br />
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