16 July 2002
Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures
The view of the Select Committee is that it is morally acceptable for human beings to use other
animals, but that it is morally wrong to cause them unnecessary or avoidable suffering.
There is at present a continued need for animal experiments both in applied research and in
research aimed purely at extending knowledge.
Toxicological testing in animals is at present essential for medical practice and the protection of
consumers and the environment, as it often provides information that is not currently available
from any other source.
The UK should strive not for the tightest regulation, but for the best regulation, properly enforced.
The availability to the public of regularly updated, good quality information on what animal
experiments are done and why, is vital to create an atmosphere in which the issue of animal
experimentation can be discussed productively.
Read the
Select Committee paper here.
20 June 2001
Animal Experiments
While the concept of natural rights has been the subject of debate for philosophers,
rights for animals have often been claimed by lobby groups as a reason to ban
animal experiments. Animal rights groups have sought to make their views known
through various methods from demonstrations and protests to extreme methods
such as parcel bombs.
The protests against Huntingdon Life Sciences in particular have proved a focal
point in the public debate on animal rights and the use of animals in scientific
experimentation. Animal rights protests and the use of both innovative and violent
measures have resulted in new legislation
This paper explores the use of animals in experiments, the animal rights movement
and the current law regarding the conduct of protests and harassment.
Read the research paper here.
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