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Stepwise Imperatives for Improving the Protection of Animals in Research and Education in Canada Lavelle, Kyrstin; Fouad, Karim; Illes, Judy

Abstract

In this paper, we review the standard-setting tools of different levels of government in Canada for overseeing the care of animals used in science against a landscape of other international efforts. We find regulatory inconsistencies, argue that the related shortcomings are detrimental to the level of care afforded to animals, and offer suggestions for a centralized and proactive approach that could close the existing gaps. Given the resources, cost, and time it would take to transform the current system into a single cohesive one, the proposed approach is a stepwise one, and begins with the addition of two new Rs—Reflection and Responsiveness—to the existing 3Rs framework: Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction. Reflection emphasizes more continuous and specific attention to progress in the research pathway as it applies to animals than is currently required by institutional review and reporting; Responsiveness speaks to the immediate action that researchers can take responsively to that ongoing evaluation.

Item Metadata

Title
Stepwise Imperatives for Improving the Protection of Animals in Research and Education in Canada
Creator
Lavelle, Kyrstin; Fouad, Karim; Illes, Judy
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Neuroethics Canada
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2024-09-24
Description
In this paper, we review the standard-setting tools of different levels of government in Canada for overseeing the care of animals used in science against a landscape of other international efforts. We find regulatory inconsistencies, argue that the related shortcomings are detrimental to the level of care afforded to animals, and offer suggestions for a centralized and proactive approach that could close the existing gaps. Given the resources, cost, and time it would take to transform the current system into a single cohesive one, the proposed approach is a stepwise one, and begins with the addition of two new Rs—Reflection and Responsiveness—to the existing 3Rs framework: Replacement, Refinement, and Reduction. Reflection emphasizes more continuous and specific attention to progress in the research pathway as it applies to animals than is currently required by institutional review and reporting; Responsiveness speaks to the immediate action that researchers can take responsively to that ongoing evaluation.
Subject
animal; research; ethics
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2024-10-18
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0445593
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89435
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of
Citation
Animals 14 (19): 2755 (2024)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/ani14192755
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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CC BY 4.0