The purpose of this research is to explore the issues involved in animal experimentation from the perspectives of theology and ethics. Christian and other religious viewpoints are considered, along with the specific body of ethics that has built up around biomedical research. Some fundamental questions are raised. What is humankind's relationship with the rest of the animal world? Do humans have moral responsibilities and obligations toward animals and, indeed, toward the natural environment of which humans are all a part? Should animals be used at all in biomedicine? Are there alternatives? Do animals have rights? Do they deserve to be treated humanely? What limits should be set in animal experimentation? What ethics should guide the use of animals in biomedical research? Although the discussion of issues overlaps, the research is grouped under five headings: (1) What does religion say? (2) Is animal experimentation ethical? (3) What is the ethics-theology connection? (4) What are the problems with animal experimentation? (5) What conclusions may be drawn?
Animals of many kinds and descriptions are used in a variety of ways for scientific and medical purposes. Researchers use animals in efforts to defeat diseases such as cancer, AIDS, and cystic fibrosis and to test consumer products for toxicity. Some animals are taken from pounds before they are euthanized; others are bred specifically for laboratory use (Baird and Rosenbaum 161-164). The four major areas of animal experimentation are (1) biological and medical education, (2) toxicology testing for the harmful effects of new products and drugs, (3) original and applied research, including studying the causes and treatments of diseases and the basic biochemical nature and behavior of living organisms, and (4) applied medicine (Regan 364-365). Experimentation in eugenics and genetics, including the reengineering of genes, falls into the third category; the trans...