Ethical Conduct in the Care & Use of Animals
Animal researchers' bioethical rights and responsibilities are one of the most hotly debated topics in the field. As a result, many organizations have responded with guidelines spelling out standards for animal exhibition, research, sale, transportation and treatment. At the federal level, the Animal Welfare Act remains the major piece of legislation outlining how these issues are handled. Enforcement is left up to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health inspection service.
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Caring for Animals
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Enacted in 1996, the U.S. Animal Welfare Act remains the only federal law that regulates how animals are exhibited, researched, sold and transported. Essentially, the statute lays down certain minimum standards for animal treatment, according to guidelines posted by the USDA. For example, Section 2.33 requires research laboratories to have a veterinarian onsite at all times. Veterinarians must also be directly responsible for the animals' care. As a result, veterinarians who only do research would not qualify under this language.
Justification for Research
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Whether the research is medically or scientifically necessary is another important issue that entities like the American Psychological Association are increasingly factoring into their own ethical standards. According to guidelines prepared by the APA's Committee on Animal Research and Ethics, researchers should weigh four factors embarking on any work that requires animals. These factors include whether the work will replicate the results of a previous experiment, the likelihood of significant benefit to humanity and whether a project would increase an understanding of the species being studied.
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Pain and Distress
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Wherever possible, pain and distress should be minimized for research animals, according to federal guidelines posted by the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare. Good practice requires that procedures involving more than a slight risk of pain or discomfort should be performed with appropriate sedation, analgesia or anesthesia. In addition, painful surgical procedures should not be done on unanesthetized animals paralyzed by chemical agents, the OLAW guidelines states. Researchers are also encouraged to consider that any procedures causing pain in humans are likely to induce similar distress in animals.
Researcher Obligations
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Under CARE's guidelines, any animals not being bred by the researcher are expected to be acquired lawfully. If the animals are taken from the field, researchers must make effort to ensure they are trapped humanely. Because of its potential to damage habitats, field research should not be undertaken without approval from the relevant committee. Even then, when such research is approved, it must be done with careful regard for the privacy of an area's inhabitants, according to the committee's guidelines.
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References
- Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare: Public Health Service Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
- The American Psychological Association: Committee on Animal Research and Ethics: Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal Welfare Act: Quick Reference Guides...
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Questions and Answers About the Animal Welfare Act...
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