The Use of Animals for Research

An Unbiased Look at Animal Testing and the Ethics Involved

Jul 25, 2009

The use of animals for scientific research is a controversial topic. There are, however, a number of committees involved in ensuring the ethical treatment of animals.

Humans have been using animals for a variety of purposes for millions of years, from food to clothing, for entertainment (e.g., horse racing), as pets, and to work (e.g., on a farm), but as science and technology progress, the uses of animals has become even more varied, including cloning and genetic modification. Primarily, there are two points of view.

The For Side

The For Side considers the use of animals for research to be beneficial, mostly to humans, but to animals also. Animals have provided a greater understanding of biological processes and allowed for biomedical discoveries including organ transplantation, vaccines, and antibiotics. Often animal research precedes human trials.

The Against Side

The Against Side focuses on the ethical side of the argument more so than the benefits of the research. They argue that the results gained from animal research are not transferable to humans and question whether it’s appropriate to use animals for research particularly when such research will cause pain and suffering from which the animal will not benefit. Some wish to put an end to animal research completely regardless of the human consequences.

The arguments are not so black and white however, as there are many people whose opinions fall into a grey area. For example, some are okay with certain types of research, perhaps to find a cure for a terminal illness rather then testing of the latest lipstick, while others appear to be okay with research on certain animals but not others. For example, they accept research done on mice as they are considered pests, but not on monkeys which they may consider to be too intelligent.

Currently, there is no worldwide treaty governing the protection of animal welfare. Countries and states have their own animal welfare organizations and legislation with regards to the use of animals in research. Animal ethics committees are in place to monitor and enforce laws associated with using animals in research.

Animals used for research are used after other methods are considered. Knowledge gained from the research is of great benefit to human society and animals are treated with respect and caused the minimal amount of pain possible. It would be difficult to justify the use of animals if the knowledge gained was not important and useful.

The Animal Ethics Committee (AEC)

In Australia, the Animal Ethics Committee (AEC) oversees safety and well-being of research animals. They hold monthly meetings to consider researchers’ applications for the use of animals, and conduct on-site inspections. All research must comply with the Animal Research Act applicable to their state and the Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes (7th edition). Severe penalties apply under The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 for offences.

The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act defines an animal as: Fish, Amphibian, Bird, Reptile, Crustacean or Mammal (apart from Human). The Australian Code of Practice for the Care and use of Animal’s for Scientific Purposes includes:

The purpose of the code is to ensure the welfare of research animals is always considered and that their use is justified. It also ensures that researchers take responsibility and that the minimum numbers of animals are used, that the appropriate animals are used and that pain and distress is avoided or minimized. Proposals must be submitted to the AEC for approval before commencement of any scientific research. The code applies to:

Although not everybody agrees with the use of animals for research, it would be advisable to be completely informed about their treatment before making any decisions. Animal research is rarely like the cruel way it is portrayed in movies with animals being virtually tortured and kept in tiny cages. Researchers and animal technicians most often care for and respect animals a great deal and treat them kindly and humanely.

The question remains whether humans have the right to use animals for research, and this may never be fully answered. It is the same as the question of whether humans have the right to eat other animals and again this topic raises some controversy and differing opinions. The controversial topic of animal research will continue as scientific discovery leads to further research. It can be expected that there will be some changes along the way. For example, the use of animals for testing cosmetics has received much negative attention and as a result many companies have stopped this practice, and label their products as ‘Not Tested on Animals’.

The copyright of the article The Use of Animals for Research in Scientific Ethics is owned by Roberta Goli. Permission to republish The Use of Animals for Research in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.