[Ethical aspects of animal experimentation] [Article in German]

Abstract

Animal experimentation has become a fundamental part of scientific procedures in the study of living nature. But with the acknowledgement that animals possess a value of their own, animal experimentation is no longer regarded as self-evidently justified from an ethical point of view. In addition to having at least to make attempts to find alternatives, researchers will also have to embark upon the question of whether the methods used will be compensated by the results of their research. This requires an ability to engage in an ethical dialogue, which should be conducted by ethics committees. Such ethical reasoning may be required to meet certain standards, both with respect to form and content, in order for researchers to be able to maintain that there are "good reasons" in the ethical sense to pursue their lines of research. Awareness of fallacies (logical pitfalls in ethical argumentation) is important in this dialogue. Public accessibility provides a safeguard for society against neglect of the acknowledgement that animals possess a value of their own.