The Use of Animals for Medical Research: A Mother's Dilemma

The controversial debate between animal rights groups and the medical/scientific community over the humaneness of using animals for research has been ongoing. Scientists claim that animals have to be used for some of the research, and that according to the law, alternative testing will be used when possible. Animal rights groups claim that animals are being used without their consent and endure excessive pain and suffering. But, can we honestly believe that the medical advances that have saved or enhanced so many lives (for both humans and animals) would have occurred without animal testing?

Benefits of Animal Research:

Many, if not most, of the extraordinary innovations in the treatment of today's diseases and conditions have been based on research using animals. In addition to increasing the life span of humans by almost thirty years since 1900, the research has also resulted in advances such as immunizations against polio, hepatitis, measles and mumps; treatments for cancer (chemotherapy), insulin, anti-depressants, analgesics and antibiotics; medications to treat arthritis, high blood pressure and mental illness; and surgical procedures such as limb reattachments, joint replacement, coronary bypasses, and organ transplants.

As an animal lover, I thought humans were the only ones who benefited from such advances. But, animal research has also produced vaccines for animals, such as anthrax, rabies, distemper, parvovirus, hepatitis, tetanus, and feline leukemia, as well as new treatments to protect animals who suffer from glaucoma, heart disease, cancer, hip dysplasia, arthritis and traumatic injuries. Our pets are now enjoying extended life through the benefit of pacemakers, artificial joints and organ transplants, giving them the freedom to play and lead a quality life.

Laws and Regulations Protecting Animals:

There are numerous regulations and laws designed to protect animals, but, unfortunately, enforcement of those laws and regulations are sometimes lacking.

With the formation of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees (IACUC), there are committees of veterinarians, research experts and members of the community at large, which evaluate research protocols, review care programs and inspect laboratory facilities, assess and educate laboratory personnel, and investigate complaints about the misuse or mistreatment of animals. These committees require the researcher to provide evidence that the proposed research has not already been done and that the proposed protocol couldn't be carried out in a scientifically valid way without using live animals. The protocol of each researcher is reviewed in detail every six months by the IACUC.

When the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) was first adopted in 1966, research facilities were compelled to register as an animal research facility with the USDA. Minimum standards were set for the general and veterinary care of animals used in research, including inspections of the laboratory facility and adoption and use of local IACUCs to review research protocols for compliance with regulations governing research and measures to promote animal welfare.

At first, the law (Public Law 89-544) regulated the humane treatment in research of only six species: dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits, and nonhuman primates. The 1970 amendment added warm-blooded animals within its purview, and as a result of this amendment, research on farm animals is governed by the AWA. In addition, other amendments to the AWA required the use of pain-relieving drugs.

Animal rights activists strongly believe that the suffering of the animals is excessive and that the benefits reaped by humans do not outweigh the suffering to animals. No one wants to see an animal suffer, but it is unrealistic to believe that the advances in medicine could have been achieved without animal testing. Herein lies my dilemma. As an animal lover, I wish there were more viable alternatives, and I can only hope that the current laws and regulations will protect research animals from unnecessary suffering. But, as a mother, I am grateful for the medical research which developed a vaccine that prevented my child from getting polio or any of the other childhood diseases that were thwarted by vaccines resulting from such research.