Exploring Bioethics - NIH Office of Science Education - National ...

Learning ObjectivesStudents will• recognize that some technological interventions in the production anduse of animals have the potential to bring benefits (and even possiblyharms) to human beings as well as to harm, benefit, or have a neutraleffect on animals;• acknowledge that there is great uncertainty about the effects of thesemodifications and that it can be difficult to specify and evaluate theirpotential harms and benefits;• recognize two critical ethical considerations: the harm-to-benefit ratioof a proposed modification—which includes examining the availabilityof an alternative that would be less harmful to the animal—and theconcept of respect for animals; and• become familiar with a range of policy approaches—prohibition,temporary moratorium, incrementalism, restricted pursuit, and norestrictions—for guiding human modifications of animals.Major Concepts• Human beings have been modifying the natural world for thousands ofyears to their great benefit.• Technological breakthroughs now make it possible to modify animals ona scale and in ways never before imagined.• Modifying the natural world brings great benefits but also risks anduncertainties.• It is important to assess the ratio of expected animal harm to likelyhuman benefit for a given modification and to determine whether thereare better alternatives.• Beyond the analysis of harms and benefits, it is important to determinethe nature and extent of respect humans owe to animals.• There is a range of policy approaches for handling these choices.Assessment OutcomeStudents will recommend one of five policy options for a decision aboutmodifying Alba the rabbit for human entertainment and justify theirrecommendations. To do so, they will address what they perceive tobe the ratio of animal harm to human benefit. They will also take intoaccount other scientific and ethical considerations that support theirpolicy recommendations.12345Module 6 6-36