Ethical Issues Surrounding Animal Testing and Research

Most animals get used and experimented in scientific research and this has been useful but generates extreme concern in terms of the rights of animals. The main ethical concern refers to pain that is inflicted on animals, their tissues, and organs; toxic substances are used on them as well as they are exposed to stress.

Detractors claim that inflicting suffering on animals for research is cruel and scientifically indefensible to those of us who believe that animals are sentient. Another issue is that animals cannot agree to participate in experiments, as it is the case with those human volunteers.

Every time animals are used in experimentation without their consent, issues of ethical use of animals in research arise, especially where findings do not relate exactly with that of human beings because of species variation. Those in support of animal testing point to the medical treatments that have been produced, as well as the illumination of diseases that cannot be substituted for another form of experimentation.

Still, this view happens to be less popular due to the newly developed techniques like in vitro tests and computer simulations that try to avoid or at least minimize using animals in tests.

The ethical debate continues to drive efforts toward adopting the principles of the 3Rs: Three R’s Replacement, Reduction, and Refine, trying to reduce the suffering of an animal while trying to develop knowledge on animal studies. Maintaining these considerations as priorities aligns with a major difficulty of the modern research ethic.