How ethical is animal research?

Is it ethical to inflict suffering and death on animals in the name of psychological research? Opinions on the ethics of animal research vary greatly. Some argue that causing the death of some animals is a small price to pay for advancing knowledge, while others feel that no animals should ever be used in research.

Some countries have begun passing laws aimed at limiting the number of animals used in research. For instance, in 2010 the EU passed a law based on the principle of “3 R’s”:

• Replace the use of animals with alternate techniques whenever possible

• Reduce the number of animals used in a research study

• Refine the way experiments are carried out to reduce animal suffering and ensure that animals are kept in humane conditions.

The sources below provide different perspectives on this issue:

• Article 1: “Should we experiment on animals? Yes“

• Article 2: “Five reasons testing on animals makes no sense“

This post was inspired by Dan Barazani. You can visit his blog here.