The Ethics Of Research Involving Animals

This comprehensive report discusses the ethical issues raised by research involving animals and includes a detailed introduction, a description of the context of the debate (past and present), and a summary of the ethical issues. Also discussed in depth are the range of scientific uses of animals including how they develop and function, the use of animals for the study of human disease, the genetic modification of animals for the study of disease, and the development of pharmaceuticals for human healthcare. Finally, alternatives to animal research are discussed, and the views of the Working Party are summarized along with their recommendations.

In 2003, the Nuffield Council established a Working Party to examine the debate about the use of animals in research in detail and to clarify the ethical issues raised in this area. This report contains:

• A consensus statement, which summarizes the agreement of all members of the Working Party on a number of general issues
• Principal observations with regard to the scientific rationale for using animals in different kinds of research and testing
• An overview of the way in which ethical issues have been considered
• Recommendations and conclusions arising from the consensus statement and the discussion of scientific and ethical issues.

Table of Contents (Abbreviated) Section 1: Introduction and Context

• Introduction
• The contest of animal research: past and present
• Ethical issues raised by animal research
• The capacity of animals to experience pain, distress and suffering

Section 2: Use of Animals in Scientific Research

• The use of animals in basic biological research
• The use of animals in the study of human disease
• Genetically modified animals in the study of human disease
• The use of animals for research in the pharmaceutical industry
• Animal use in toxicity studies
• Summary of Section 2

Section 3: Alternatives

• Replacements
• Reduction and Refinement

Section 4: Legal, Ethical and Policy Related Issues

• Legislation, regulation and policy relating to scientific procedures on animals
• Discussion of ethical issues
• Discussion and recommendations

Appendix

• Statistics – Use of animals in the UK
• Statistics – Research involving animals in the UK, EU, USA and Japan
• Reports by other organizations
• Method of working
• Consultation with the public