Sample Template For Weekly Scenarios Posted On Wednesday Apr

Sample Template For Weekly Scenariosposted On Wednesday April 1 202

Reflective Journal Template – Topic Reflection

Topic: Animal Testing

What are the key points of contention on this topic? Animal rights, animal testing, humane regulations, or the animal welfare act.

What side of the argument (stance) do you take on this topic? I am against animal testing; many of the tests conducted are non-essential and primarily profit-driven, such as testing shampoos and cosmetics.

What strong points does the other side of this topic have? They argue that animal testing has contributed to medical treatments benefiting both humans and animals. Additionally, they contend that some testing cannot be replaced by alternatives like computer simulations due to their current limitations.

What were the three most important things you took away from the topic?

1. Computer simulations have limitations because they can only model known variables, whereas much testing aims to explore the unknown.
2. The Animal Welfare Act was signed into law in 1966 to regulate treatment and care of laboratory animals.
3. From 2013 to 2014, there was a 6.4% decrease in the number of laboratory animals used in the U.S.

Which ethical theory (of the six approved ones—Kantian Ethics, Act Utilitarianism, Rule Utilitarianism, Care Ethics, Virtue Ethics, Social Contract) would you apply to this topic to defend your stance? Explain fully.

My chosen ethical framework is utilitarianism, which emphasizes maximizing overall happiness and minimizing suffering. Utilitarianism holds that an action is ethical if it produces the greatest good for the greatest number (Pence, 2017). This theory evaluates the morality of actions based on their outcomes, placing importance on the collective happiness rather than individual rights.

Applying utilitarianism to animal testing, I argue that the suffering inflicted upon laboratory animals outweighs the benefits. Although animal testing has led to medical breakthroughs, it often involves significant pain, distress, and confinement for the animals involved. Considering that animals are capable of suffering, and their pain contributes to the overall calculation of happiness, such experiments are ethically problematic under utilitarian reasoning.

Proponents argue that animal testing benefits human health by enabling the development of new treatments and vaccines, which contributes significantly to societal welfare. However, modern scientific advancements offer alternatives such as in vitro cell cultures and computer simulations. These methods reduce animal suffering while still advancing biomedical research. For example, human cell cultures can simulate human-specific biological responses, offering more relevant data with less ethical concern.

Thus, from a utilitarian perspective, reducing suffering and exploring alternative methods better align with maximizing overall happiness. Given the availability of non-animal testing options that can produce reliable results, ethically, it is preferable to prioritize these methods over harmful animal testing.

In conclusion, although animal testing has historically contributed to significant medical advancements, its ethical justification is increasingly questionable. A utilitarian approach suggests that reducing animal suffering while enhancing scientific methods offers a more ethical pathway forward. The principles of the 3Rs—refinement, reduction, and replacement—should guide policy changes to minimize ethical conflicts associated with animal research.

References

• Pence, G. E. (2017). Medical ethics: accounts of ground-breaking cases. McGraw Hill Education.
• Beauchamp, T. L., & Childress, J. F. (2019). Principles of Biomedical Ethics (8th ed.). Oxford University Press.
• Russell, W. M. S., & Burch, R. L. (1959). The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique. University of California Press.
• National Research Council (2011). Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. National Academies Press.
• Rollin, B. E. (2015). An Introduction to Veterinary Ethics: Theory and Cases. Wiley-Blackwell.
• Van Norman, G. A. (2019). Drugs, Devices, and the FDA: Ethics, safety, and clinical evaluation. JAMA, 321(20), 1969–1970.
• Harman, G. (2020). Moral philosophy and animal suffering. Journal of Ethics, 24(3), 321–334.
• Olsson, S., & Williams, D. (2021). Alternatives to animal testing in biomedical research. Toxicology Research, 10(1), 123–134.
• Baum, M. J. (2018). Ethical considerations in animal research. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 209, 15–22.
• Shapiro, K. (2020). The ethics of animal experimentation: Past, present, and future. ILAR Journal, 61(2), 161–169.