The Ethics of Research involving Animals
Published: Wed, 25 May 2005Research involving animals has been the subject of intense debate in the UK and elsewhere. Too often this debate is presented in a polarised manner, differentiating only between those ‘for’ or those ‘against’ all animal research. This is overly simplistic: there is a continuum of views between these two ends of the spectrum.
This Report seeks to clarify the debate and aims to help people think through the ethical issues that are raised. The ways in which animals are used in different areas of research are reviewed, including: basic or ‘blue sky’ research, the development of new medicines and vaccines, and toxicity testing. The Report makes practical recommendations for future policy and practice, relating, among other things, to the use of GM animals, ways of improving the quality of debate, the implementation of the Three Rs (Refinement, Reduction and Replacement), and the responsibilities of researchers, reviewers and funding bodies.
Last Updated Wed, 26 April 2006
