Applied Ethics in Animal Research: Philosophy, Regulation, and Laboratory Applications John P
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Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Purdue University Press e-books OLD Purdue University Press 1-1-2002 Applied ethics in animal research: Philosophy, regulation, and laboratory applications John P. Gluck Tony DiPasquale F. Barbara Orlans Follow this and additional works at: http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/press_ebooks Gluck, John P.; DiPasquale, Tony; and Orlans, F. Barbara , " Applied ethics in animal research: Philosophy, regulation, and laboratory applications" (2002). Purdue University Press e-books OLD. Paper 16. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/press_ebooks/16 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. Gluck, DiPasquale, Orlans Gluck, DiPasquale, Applied Ethics / Veterinary Studies Few contemporary issues arouse as much passionate rhetoric as the ethics of labo- ratory animal use. These essays challenge people of good faith to face the issues Applied Ethics in relevant to the ethics of using animals in biomedical and behavioral research. They discuss issues of philosophy, statutory regulation, and laboratory application of ethics in ways depleted of sheer rhetoric and attempts to manipulate. The result is an open dialogue that allows readers to reach a deepened understanding of the Animal Research issue and to form their own opinions. “This is an excellent compilation of analyses from some of the leading thinkers in Applied Ethics in Animal Research the world on animal research ethics. I would recommend it as a useful addition to anyone’s library.”—ANDREW N. ROWAN, PH.D., Senior Vice President, Philosophy, Regulation, Humane Society of the United States “This book advances our understanding of an inherently compelling, complex, and and Laboratory Applications conflicted field. This text is impressive for its self-honesty and scope. It provides a sound conceptual foundation for analyzing the most substantive issues in animal research. It examines the historical, philosophical, and regulatory issues shaping the current animal research practices with coherence and clarity. Perhaps more importantly, it offers practical tools for preparing investigators to identify and respond to the newly emerging ethical challenges in animal research.” —LAURA WEISS ROBERTS, M.D., Director, Empirical Ethics Group, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Also of Interest Edited by Child Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Animal Abuse John P. Gluck Linking the Circles of Compassion for Prevention and Intervention Edited by Frank R. Ascione and Phil Arkow Tony DiPasquale ISBN 1-55753-143-9 F. Barbara Orlans Cruelty to Animals and Interpersonal Violence Readings in Research and Application Edited by Randall Lockwood and Frank R. Ascione Purdue ISBN 1-55753-106-4 ISBN 1-55753-137-4 > Purdue University Press ,!7IB5F7-fdbdhh!:t;K;k;K;k West Lafayette, Indiana Purdue University Press Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page i Applied Ethics in Animal Research Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page ii Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page iii Applied Ethics in Animal Research Philosophy, Regulation, and Laboratory Applications Edited by John P. Gluck, Tony DiPasquale, and F. Barbara Orlans PURDUE UNIVERSITY PRESS West Lafayette, Indiana Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page iv Copyright ©2002 by Purdue University. All Rights Reserved. œThe paper used in this book meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48–1992. Printed in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Applied ethics in animal research : philosophy, regulation, and labora- tory applications / edited by John P. Gluck, Tony DiPasquale, and F. Barbara Orlans. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-55753-136-6 (alk. paper)—ISBN 1-55753-137-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Animal experimentation—Moral and ethical aspects. 2. Labo- ratory animals—Moral and ethical aspects. 3. Animal welfare—Moral and ethical aspects. I. Gluck, John P., 1943– II. DiPasquale,Tony, 1963– III. Orlans, F. Barbara. IV. Title. HV4915 .A66 2000 179Ј.4—dc21 00-062783 Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page v Contents Preface ix Acknowledgments xiii Introduction 1 John P. Gluck and Tony DiPasquale Ethics, Animals, and Scientific Inquiry 13 R.G. Frey Can They Reason? Can They Talk? Can We Do without Moral Price Tags in Animal Ethics? 25 Nikola Biller-Andorno The Rhetorics of Animal Rights 55 Anita Guerrini Cognitive Ethology, Deep Ethology, and the Great Ape/Animal Project: Expanding the Community of Equals 77 Marc Bekoff Ethics, Animal Welfare, and ACUCs 113 Bernard E. Rollin Ethical Themes of National Regulations Governing Animal Experiments: An International Perspective 131 F. Barbara Orlans The Importance of Nonstatistical Experimental Design in Refining Animal Experiments for Scientists, IACUCs, and Other Ethical Review Panels 149 David B. Morton The Editors 179 Contributors 181 Index 183 v Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page vi Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page vii One may ask even the devotee of science that he should acquire an ethical understanding of himself before he de- votes himself to scholarship and that he should continue to understand himself ethically while immersed in his labors. —Søren Kierkegaard Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page viii Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page ix Preface During a recent intense discussion about the implications of consider- ing animals as having moral standing, a prominent biomedical re- searcher defended her resistance to applying the concept to animals. She explained that she considered animals to be just another category of consumable laboratory “supply,” like glassware and computer disks. When asked to expand her position, she pointed out that the supply cat- egory was the place in the budget where animal costs were listed and justified in a typical grant application. Although she was clearly at- tempting to interject a sense of irony into the discussion, her example does illustrate one extreme in the debate, one that sees animals as a form of furniture, there for our use and benefit and deserving of only minimal and indirect ethical concern. At the other extreme are those who see nature to be a virtual democracy, with all or most animals de- serving rights that protect against unwanted life intrusions by humans, no matter how beneficial to humans the intrusions might be. Although these extreme positions continue to be forcefully advanced, they have begun to give way to what has been referred to as the “troubled mid- dle.” The middle is troubled for a number of reasons. Some question whether the middle is philosophically coherent, whereas others argue that the middle is troubled because it actually confronts the day-to-day reality of human-animal relationships, which seem from some vantages to be indeed irrational and inconsistent. Some have also charged that the debate has been fought primarily with rhetorical devices devoid of validity checks on the substance. Proponents of both sides have shame- lessly marched images of dying babies and suffering animals across screens and in newspapers in ways calculated to make one react solely ix Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page x x Preface from the gut. The result is that this profound ethical issue is converted to crude counting of which picture provokes more gut reactions. However, for over twenty years, Barbara Orlans, pioneer in the field of animal ethics, has taken a different tack. Instead of presenting emo- tional appeals, she has challenged people of good faith to face the issues relevant to the ethics of using animals in biomedical and behavioral re- search. Toward that end she created a series of conferences specifically fo- cused on the topic of the ethics of animal research. The clear aim of these conferences has been to create a unique venue in which the representa- tives of the various perspectives in the debate could come together and listen to one another in formal presentations, small group discussions, and casual social encounters. These have been remarkable conferences, at- tended by scientists, some deeply involved in the use of animals, philoso- phers representing a number of contrasting theoretical perspectives, ani- mal advocates from across the spectrum of activism, historians of science, and members of the interested public. To date seven of these conferences have taken place, three at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics at Georgetown University (1991, 1994, and 1995), one at the Poynter Center at Indiana University (1996), one at the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center (1997), one at the University of California at Davis (1999), and most recently, at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine (2001). Feedback from attendees has consistently revealed that the con- ferences have provided a greater understanding of the issues and an im- proved respect for the people involved. What follows in this volume is a collection of essays contributed by individuals who have presented their ideas at these conferences and who fit squarely into the troubled middle. The authors address the issues of philosophy, statutory regulation, and laboratory application of ethics in ways meant to avoid sheer rhetoric and attempts to manipulate. The es- says are tempered by open discussion with individuals with different opinions, not merely audiences of true believers. R. G. Frey and Nikola Biller-Andorno expand the notions of the moral standing of animals, Anita Guerrini analyzes the history of the methods of argumentation, Marc Bekoff addresses the implications of what we have begun to know about the minds of animals, Bernard Rollin and Barbara Orlans describe the nature and value of regulatory structures, and David Morton shows how respect for animals can be converted from theory to action in the Gluck_*i_xiv_FM 10/23/01 12:55 PM Page xi Preface xi laboratory.