title: Necessary conditions for morally responsible animal research.
abstract: In this article, we present three necessary conditions for morally responsible animal research that we believe people on both sides of this debate can accept. Specifically, we argue that, even if human beings have higher moral status than nonhuman animals, animal research is morally permissible only if it satisfies (1) an expectation of sufficient net benefit, (2) a worthwhile-life condition, and (3) a no-unnecessary-harm/qualified-basic-needs condition. We then claim that, whether or not these necessary conditions are jointly sufficient for justified animal research, they are relatively demanding, with the consequence that many animal experiments may fail to satisfy them.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DeGrazia
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sebo
mesh_terms: D032761:Animal Experimentation / Q000941:ethics* / Q000592:standards; D017087:Animal Rights; D000818:Animals; D040261:Harm Reduction / Q000941:ethics; D006801:Humans; D009014:Morals; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000941:ethics
keywords: animal ethics; animal research; expected benefit; harm to animals; moral status; unnecessary harm