动物实验"3R"原则的伦理论证

动物之于人来说,不仅是一个非常重要的资源,而且在进化上有亲缘关系,许多已经成为人类的伙伴和助手。然而,虽然人从动物身上得到很多益处,动物却往往因此失去性命或遭受到痛苦的对待。随着实验医学发展和动物实验中动物使用数量的增加,动物保护主义开始出现,并迅速发展起来。1959年提出以减少(Reduction)、替代(Replacement)和优化(Refinement)为核心的动物实验"3R"原则被越来越多的科学工作者所接受,并在实际研究工作中得到了广泛的应用。本文在考查动物道德地位的基础上为"3R"原则进行伦理学辩护。

Ethical Arguments for 3R Principles for Animal Experimentation

For human beings animals are not only very important resources,but also have evolutionary affinity with humans and many of them became their partners and assistants.However,although humans benefit a lot from animals,animals often lose their life or suffer for humans.With the development of experimental medicine and steadily increase in experimental animals,animal protectionism emerged and became more and more influential.Since 1959 the 3R principles of animal experimentation with Reduction,Replacement and Refinement as its core have been widely accepted by scientists,and broadly applied in scientific activities.This article provides ethical justification for 3R principles on the basis of the examination of animal's moral status.