BIOETHICAL ISSUES

CONCERNING ANIMAL
TESTING IN RESEARCH
By Siti Shahirah Saidi
MP1612162T
Lecturer: Dr. Sopiah Abdullah
 Animal Testing in
INTRODUCTION Research

Also known as experimental

animal, animal research and
in-vivo testing

Is a scientific experiment or
test in which a live animal is
forced to undergo something
that is likely to inflict pain,
distress, and suffering
Example:- Reasons:-
Forcing animals to To determine the toxicity of
inhale toxic gases. medications.
Injecting or force Check the safety of
feeding animals with products destined for
potentially harmful human use, biomedical,
substances. commercial, and healthcare
Exposing animals to uses.
radiation.
Surgically removing
animals’ organs or
tissues.
Animals that are commonly
used in Animal Testing

Mice - low cost, ease of handling,

and fast reproduction rate.

Rabbit - used in eye and skin

irritancy tests for environmental
toxicity testing.

Monkeys – cosmetic purposes;

to understand and cure Parkinson
disease
 History of Animal Testing
Found Greek’s writings about Galen (2nd century, Rome)
animal testing during 2nd and 4th  Father of Vivesection
centuries BC.
 dissected pigs and goats for
Conducted animal testing to:- medicinal research purpose.
 increase knowledge about
the way in which complex Avenzoar (12th century, Spain)
organisms such as humans
and animals functioned  introduced animal testing as
an experimental method of
 discover better treatments
testing surgical procedures
and cures for sickness. before applying them to
Aware of the biological human patients .
similarities between humans and
other animals.
What is Bioethics?
Is a study of the controversial ethical issues,
which arises from new situations and
possibilities brought by the advances in biology
and medicine.

Can be described as a study of the application

of ethics in the biological sciences, medicine,
health care and related fields.

The practice of animal testing raised many

issues regarding the ethics between its
supporters and opponents.
 Five Bioethical Issues Concerning
Animal Testing In Research
Do animals deserve the same moral consideration as
humans?

Why the use of animals should require justification, provided

there are benefits related to research involving animal?

Is there an obligation to alleviate suffering from the animal in

research?

How does the justification of animal research relate to the

justification of animals for other uses?

What is the appropriate role of regulation for research

involving animals?
 DO ANIMALS DESERVE THE SAME MORAL
CONSIDERATION AS HUMANS?

Direct but Moral

Indirect Theory
Unequal Theory InequalitiesTheory

• deny animals moral • accord some moral • assume equal

status or equal consideration to consideration and
consideration with animals, but deny moral status to
humans. them a fuller moral animals as humans
being.
status.
• due to a lack of
consciousness, • By analogy, concept
• Believe that only of rights to animals
reason, or autonomy. human has right, have similar
rationale, can act physiological and
• emphasizes the morally, and part of mental capacities as
moral dividing line the moral infants or disabled
between humans and community. human beings.
animals.
 WHY THE USE OF ANIMALS SHOULD REQUIRE
JUSTIFICATION, PROVIDED THERE ARE BENEFITS RELATED
TO RESEARCH INVOLVING ANIMAL?

 Some experiments cannot be performed on

humans or are better performed on animals
 Useful (perhaps, necessary) for present &
future medical advancements. Examples:-
 Animal experimentation using mice has
contributed to the increasing of cancer survival
rates.
 Herceptine, a humanized mouse protein has
helped to increase the survival rate of breast
cancer.
 Responsible for the development of asthma
inhalers, develop modern vaccines against diseases
like rabies, polio, rubella, and TB.
 It is very unethical to use one species by
another harmfully, regardless any possible
benefits.
 Deaths for research are unnecessary.
 Animals suffer while they are locked up
and how do we know when they do and
don’t feel pain.
 Effect on animals does not always
accurately predict the effects on humans.
chocolate can be poisonous to dogs
 cortisone and insulin are deadly to
many animals
IS THERE AN OBLIGATION/DUTY TO ALLEVIATE
SUFFERING FROM THE ANIMAL IN RESEARCH?

 The idea of animal might not feel pain as

human beings feel was proposed by René
Descartes, a 17th century French
philosopher.
because of lacking of consciousness,
animals do not experience pain and
suffering.

 Carbone (2004) = the view that animals

feel pain differently has now become a
minority view.
The Institute of Animal Technology (IAT)
• humans have a moral and legal obligation to care for
each other by prolonging life and alleviating suffering.

• to ensure that the animals used to further these aims

are properly cared for and protected.

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty

to Animals (RSPCA),
• Ensure the suffering experienced by animals, due to
both experiments and life in the laboratory, is properly
recognized and effectively reduced for as long as
animal use continues.
 HOW DOES THE JUSTIFICATION OF ANIMAL
RESEARCH RELATE TO THE JUSTIFICATION OF
ANIMALS FOR OTHER USES?
‘Using animals in research is justified because we also use animals
in other contexts’

The most common tendency in making comparisons to the animal testing

in research.

People use animals as sports, food production and livestock, which favor of
human benefits and give negative implication for animal welfare.

2.7 million animals in research are relatively insignificant when compared to

more than 950 million livestock and nearly 500,000 tonnes of fish used
annually for food production in the UK.

Proponents of this view argue that the benefit to humans in using animals
as food entails primarily an increased range in dietary variety, while the
benefits of animal research can consist in significant developments in
scientific progress and human welfare.
 WHAT IS THE APPROPRIATE ROLE OF REGULATION
FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING ANIMALS?

 an alternative to animal testing

 guide principles for the use of animals in research in
most countries.

Replacement Reduction Refinement

• methods • methods • methods

which avoid which which
or replace minimize the minimize
the use of number of suffering and
animals in animals used improve
research. per animal
experiment. welfare.
 Federal law in the US
 regulates the treatment of animals in research,
exhibition, transport, and so on.
 the violation of the Act is punishable under federal law
and could lead to research program suspensions, fines
and/or imprisonment.

 Act of the Parliament of the UK

 Permits studies to be conducted using animals for
procedures such as breeding genetically modified
animals, medical and veterinary advances, education,
and includes procedures requiring vivsection if certain
criteria are met.
 CONCLUSION

 Animal testing should be eliminated because it

violates animals' rights, and causes pain and
suffering to the experimental animals.

 Animal anatomy is different from human

anatomy. Hence, the result of testing cannot
be said to mimic the results in humans.
 Thank
You!
STOP ANIMAL TESTING