The Ethics of Animal Research

My original opinion about animal research before the presentation was for animal research, and it remained so even after the presentation. I am of this stand for the following reasons. The fact that animal research has played an important part in a lot of scientific and medical advancement in the past century and that it has supported our understanding of various diseases can not be overemphasized. The possibility of people enjoying better quality of life all over the world due to these advances and the succeeding progress of new medicines and treatments are all owed to animal research.

The anti-animal research group are majorly against it for two major reasons. They believe that it violates animal rights, and that it inflicts preventable suffering on sentient creatures. (site). What they have failed to recognize is that, clearly, the ground of our responsibility to humans and to animals are numerous and can not be simply conceived. Some of them are of the opinion that there is a uniform obligation to not harm sentient creatures (principle of nonmaleficence) and others believe that there is a uniform responsibility to do good to sentient creatures when that is reasonably within one’s ability (the principle of beneficence).

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During animal research, it can not be denied that there is an obligation to act humanely – to treat animals with concern and decency. This is what we owe sentient creatures as humans. It, however, does not mean to treat them as humans, or as holders of rights. (article). Taking cancer as an example, At the beginning of 2008, approximately 12 million individuals were alive with a history of cancer in the U.

S (site).

The CDC reports that, between 2010 and 2020, it is expected that the number of cancer cases will increase In the US to about 24% in men meaning more than a million cases yearly and about 900,000 cases in women. This is a serious issue, and at this point, I will like to believe that we all know that getting all the information we can, to prevent or at the least reduce the severity of the impact of this menace is of paramount importance. So far, animal research, has aided our knowledge of the underlying molecular processes that are required in the development of cancer and its response to treatment (site). In order to see the rapid explosion and the prompt translation to improved prevention, diagnosis and treatment, mostly in the area of more common cancers, we still have unmet needs for better therapies. Our identification of genes and pathways recently, have been a tool for development of targeted therapy and personalized treatment all thanks to animal research. (site) Even at that, we still have a long way, to having all our answers necessary for introduction of new drug into the clinic that will take care of deficiencies like efficacy and safety. All these, we hope to get using animals in research. They remain an important tool in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms responsible for cancer and in identifying new targets and biomarkers.

In conclusion, the use of animals in research is considered by RDS as ethically and morally justified. The advantage of animal research has been vast and if abandoned, will pose dreadful consequences for public health and medical research. Even at that, the use of the 3R is important to ceaselessly minimize the number and agony of animals in research. Places all over the world, have made good regulatory regime for example, like there is in the UK, this will help reduce the number of animals used.