Charles FOKUNANG1*, Estella TEMBE-FOKUNANG1,
1Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University of Yaoundé
CaHReF 2018, Yaoundé Congres hall, 08 – 11 January 2019 , OAUU010
The use of animals in research and teaching is a subject that stirs controversy among many people. The reasons for this are complex and are rooted deep in history, religion and culture. These are further affected by personal experience. In general, the root of the controversy stems from the relative moral value that individual human beings place on animals. Individuals’ attitudes range from those who attribute all animals with the same moral value as a human, to those who see animals solely as a resource for human consumption. Most of us fall somewhere in the middle. Judeo-Christian teachings have long held that humans hold dominion over animals, using them for their needs. However, these teachings also place value on the kind
Another ethical principle that affects human attitudes toward animal use is that of minimizing the harm done to animals. The assumption is that all animals will avoid pain, distress or death if given the choice, and therefore it is ethical for humans to minimize exposing animals to these events. Because the concepts of pain and distress require some level of neurological development, the extent to which animals can experience them varies with the animals’ physical characteristics. All of these concepts have contributed to society’s current concepts of the morality of the use of animals. The primary concepts that have evolved are: It is acceptable to use animals for human ends, but the purpose of the use must be of some benefit to the world as a whole. Overall use of animals should be minimized. Pain and distress caused by the use should be minimized. This study gives an overview of the challenging ethical issues in animal research and the regulation governing animal in biomedical research.
Key Wordss: Ethics, biomedical, animal research