- Library Home /
- Search Collections /
- Open Collections /
- Browse Collections /
- UBC Theses and Dissertations /
- The role of the animal ethics committee in achieving...
Open Collections
UBC Theses and Dissertations
UBC Theses and Dissertations
The role of the animal ethics committee in achieving humane animal experimentation Schuppli, Catherine Anne
Abstract
Institutional Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) are the principal means of ensuring the ethical use of animals in research in many countries, yet we understand very little about how they function and how effective they are in implementing policy and achieving their stated aims. To answer these questions, an ethnographic study involving participant observation and in-depth interviews with 28 members of four university AECs in western Canada was carried out. The major focus of protocol review by committee members was reducing harm to animals, with limited focus on the ethical justification of research despite this being stressed in policy as a goal of AECs. In part, this may be due to confusion over the relation between AEC review and scientific peer review by granting agencies, with some members believing that ethical justification is decided by scientific peer review. Members were also unclear on the distinction between the different elements that go into decisions about ethical justification. Use of costbenefit assessment, although prescribed by policy, did not cover the various other decisionmaking approaches that members described using (e.g. moral intuition). Comments by members identified several factors that could hinder application of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement); these include an incomplete understanding of the concepts, different interpretations of harm, and different beliefs about the moral significance of pain and suffering. Moreover, some ethical issues do not lend themselves to the utilitarian thinking underlying the Three Rs. Independence of the AEC from the institution (as required by policy) may not be realized because of the predominance of institutional scientists on AECs, recruitment of affiliated community members, and the potentially intimidating atmosphere for community members. Also, policy is unclear about the role of the community member. AEC effectiveness could be improved by clarifying the role of the community member, the relation between AEC and scientific peer review, and the elements of cost-benefit assessments, by expanding policy to acknowledge the various issues and approaches used in decision-making, identifying standards for assessing AEC performance, and expanding the Three Rs to respond to the range of views and values that enter into decisions by AEC members.
Item Metadata
Title |
The role of the animal ethics committee in achieving humane animal experimentation
|
Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
|
Date Issued |
2004
|
Description |
Institutional Animal Ethics Committees (AECs) are the principal means of ensuring the ethical
use of animals in research in many countries, yet we understand very little about how they
function and how effective they are in implementing policy and achieving their stated aims. To
answer these questions, an ethnographic study involving participant observation and in-depth
interviews with 28 members of four university AECs in western Canada was carried out. The
major focus of protocol review by committee members was reducing harm to animals, with
limited focus on the ethical justification of research despite this being stressed in policy as a goal
of AECs. In part, this may be due to confusion over the relation between AEC review and
scientific peer review by granting agencies, with some members believing that ethical
justification is decided by scientific peer review. Members were also unclear on the distinction
between the different elements that go into decisions about ethical justification. Use of costbenefit
assessment, although prescribed by policy, did not cover the various other decisionmaking
approaches that members described using (e.g. moral intuition). Comments by members
identified several factors that could hinder application of the Three Rs (Replacement, Reduction,
Refinement); these include an incomplete understanding of the concepts, different interpretations
of harm, and different beliefs about the moral significance of pain and suffering. Moreover, some
ethical issues do not lend themselves to the utilitarian thinking underlying the Three Rs.
Independence of the AEC from the institution (as required by policy) may not be realized
because of the predominance of institutional scientists on AECs, recruitment of affiliated
community members, and the potentially intimidating atmosphere for community members.
Also, policy is unclear about the role of the community member. AEC effectiveness could be
improved by clarifying the role of the community member, the relation between AEC and
scientific peer review, and the elements of cost-benefit assessments, by expanding policy to
acknowledge the various issues and approaches used in decision-making, identifying standards
for assessing AEC performance, and expanding the Three Rs to respond to the range of views
and values that enter into decisions by AEC members.
|
Extent |
9930756 bytes
|
Genre | |
Type | |
File Format |
application/pdf
|
Language |
eng
|
Date Available |
2009-11-27
|
Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
|
Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
|
DOI |
10.14288/1.0099790
|
URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
|
Graduation Date |
2004-05
|
Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
|
Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
|
Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.