• Question: do you think it is right to harm animals in order to fine cures for diseases like cancer

    Asked by adamrussell to Fiona, Jane, Joanna, Michelle, William on 18 Jun 2010 in Categories: .
    • Photo: Michelle Murphy

      Michelle Murphy answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      animal research is important where there are no other alternatives but the least amount of “harm” should be done to the animal.

    • Photo: Jane Henry

      Jane Henry answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      I confess I am not happy with harming animals to help humans. I think it behoves scientists to find other ways of testing wherever possible.

    • Photo: Joanna Brooks

      Joanna Brooks answered on 16 Jun 2010:

      Hiya! I personally do not test on animals because the type of experiments I do are all with human participants who volunteer to take part. Science is evolving all the time and at some point in the future I’m sure that scientists won’t need to test on animals at all because there will be other ways to explore the human body and brain – perhaps through an artificial human body or brain simulated using advanced computer science for example.

    • Photo: Fiona Randall

      Fiona Randall answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      Hi adamrussell, that is a really good question. Animal research should only be done when there is absolutely no alternative and experiments should be designed so that animals suffer the very least possible. Sadly for some experiments there is no alternative but to use animals as nothing can substitute understanding the heart but a beating heart. In the UK there are very strict laws on animal research so that animals are treated very well in research laboratories. If you look through my old answers I talked more about this. There is a website called Understanding Animal Research which shows you real pictures of animals in laboratories.

    • Photo: William Davies

      William Davies answered on 18 Jun 2010:

      I am completely convinced that testing on animals is necessary to develop new and improved cures for terrible diseases like cancer (and also treatments for diseases in animals too). In the UK, we have extremely strict regulations to ensure that animal suffering is kept to an absolute minimum, and that the benefits of the research outweigh any possible costs to the animal’s health. Animals in UK research labs often have a happier life than many pets!

Comments

  • Photo: caitx

    caitx commented on :

    Really animals should not be used, Humans have the choice where they can volenter to help themselfs and its a lose lose situation, a human with the deseas or problem could die from the untested medication or from the desease without the tretment, why should animals be inflicted pain and be made sick when they could have a perfectly good life? x