Ethics and Refinement in Animal Research
By I. A. S. Olsson, A. K. Hansen & P. Sandøe (2007)
Science. AAAS.
Extract
Based on a case study we conclude that scientists and journals could and should do more to secure the ethical standards of animal use in biomedical research: Scientists often justify animal use referring to the scientific value and biomedical importance (2). However, except from a purely anthropocentric perspective, ethical concern about compromised animal welfare cannot be justified by human benefits alone (1). It is equally important that the benefits are achieved with a minimum of negative effects to the animals involved. Thus scientists must apply refinement, the third R of the so-called 3Rs (3). But here scientists seem sometimes to do less than they should and journals fail in their duty to enforce high ethical standards.