Animal Experimentation and the Use of Animals
Animal experimentation and the use of animals looks at the moral status of animals and whether it is acceptable to use them in scientific research. It covers UK regulation of animal testing, the religious idea of dominion (human authority and responsibility over animals), and the non-religious speciesism argument that giving animals less moral consideration purely because they are not human may be unjustified discrimination.
Before you start
No specific prerequisites - this is a good place to start.
Method
- Learn the definitions of animal experimentation, dominion, animal rights, speciesism and the 3Rs.
- Learn the key UK law: the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, and the 1998 UK ban on testing cosmetics and their ingredients on animals.
- Learn two religious teachings, with sources of authority, about how animals should be treated.
- Learn how the concept of dominion can be read in two different ways: as permission for regulated use, or as a duty of care that rules out causing suffering.
- Learn the non-religious speciesism argument associated with the philosopher Peter Singer, and a contrasting cost-benefit argument.
- Practise explaining how the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) are meant to reduce suffering in research that still goes ahead.
- Practise the extended evaluation structure, using at least one religious and one non-religious point of view.
Worked example
Explain two ways in which the principle of the 3Rs might be applied by a scientist planning an experiment that requires live animals.
- State the 3Rs: replacement, reduction and refinement.
- First application: before using animals, the scientist should check whether a non-animal method, such as computer modelling or cell-culture testing, could answer the same scientific question. This is replacement.
- If no replacement is available, the scientist should design the experiment to use the minimum number of animals needed for a scientifically valid result, for example through careful statistical planning. This is reduction.
- Second application: the scientist should also plan how to reduce suffering during the procedure itself, for example through effective pain relief or improved housing conditions. This is refinement.
- State the final answer: applying the 3Rs means trying to avoid using animals altogether first, and if animals must be used, using as few as scientifically necessary while minimising their suffering throughout the study.
Practice questions
Try each question, then tap to reveal the answer.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE Religious Studies exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Explain two reasons why the 1998 UK ban on cosmetics testing on animals is sometimes used as evidence in the wider animal experimentation debate.
Evaluate this statement: 'Cosmetic and household product testing on animals should never have been allowed, even before the 1998 UK ban.' In your answer, refer to more than one point of view and reach a justified conclusion.
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