Animal Research

1. 66

   Jessie L Watsonposted 6 years ago

   
   
   Discussion Question:  Do animals possess “the status necessary to access the protections provided by the moral and ethical standards of a society”? (Gluck & Bell, 2003)
   
   Context: Experimental/Medical Research
   
   Perspectives:
   
   Inherent-rights perspectives: "All sentient beings have inherent value and moral standing, and thus they cannot be used by humans for whatever purpose humans wish. Because animals are incapable of providing informed consent, they cannot be subjected to experiments or studied in other ways that would routinely require informed consent."
   
   Utilitarian perspectives: "All sentient beings have moral standing but not necessarily equal standing. Moral standing increases along with an organism’s greater capacity to experience pleasure and pain, which in turn is related to cognitive abilities such as greater self-awareness. Following the principle of utility (i.e., making decisions to maximize the collective good), research on animals would be justified when the projected benefits to humans or animals clearly outweigh the risks to the animal subjects. The higher an organism’s moral standing, the greater the justification needed."
   
   Pro-use perspectives: "Humans are strongly obligated to treat animals humanely, but animals are not people and don’t have the same moral standing. Humans’ strongest moral obligation is to fellow humans, and humans have the right to decide the status of animals. The potential benefits of animal research to human welfare justify such work." (Passer, 2014)
   
   References
   
   Gluck, J. & Bell, J. (2003) Ethical Issues in the Use of Animals in Psychopharmacological Research. Retrieved from http://animalstudiesrepository.org/cgi/ … =acwp_arte
   
   Passer, M. (2014). Research Methods, 1st Edition. [Kaplan]. Retrieved from https://kaplan.vitalsource.com/#/books/9781464198991/

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2. 77

   Kathryn L Hillposted 6 years ago

   You are wondering if we should make animal research illegal. My answer, is this: If it benefits mankind, it is justified. Would you like to wash your hair with shampoo one fine evening and then wake up blind the next morning?

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