Animal_and_Human_Experimentation_Issue

Animal and Human Experimentation

Problems/Case Studies

"Bad Blood:" A Case Study of the Tuskegee Syphilis Project". Ann W. Fourtner, Charles R. Fourtner, and Clyde F. Herreid, University at Buffalo. State University of New York at Buffalo’s National Center for Case Study Teaching
The ethics of human experimentation are explored in this case about the infamous syphilis studies performed at the Tuskegee Institute from the 1930s to the 1960s.
This case could be used in any course that explores the ethics of science.

Articles in "Taking Sides"

"Should Animal Experimentation be Permitted??" Levine, Carol. Taking Sides: Science, Technology, and Society, 6th AND 11th edition.
Issue Summary:

YES: Mark Matfield summarizes the history of protests against the use of animals in research and argues that the research community needs to play a greater part in communicating the benefits of animal use and the commitment of the researchers themselves to protecting and regulating the welfare of laboratory animals. (from "Animal Experimentation: The Continuing Debate", Nature Reviews, Drug Discovery, February 2002).

NO: Research attorney Steven Zak maintains that current animal protection laws do not adequately protect animals used in medical and other research and that, for society to be virtuous, it must recognize the rights of animals not to be sacrificed for human needs. (from "Ethics and Animals", The Atlantic Monthly, March 1989)

"Is Sham Surgery Ethically Acceptable in Clinical Research?" Levine, Carol. Taking Sides: Bioethical Issues, eleventh edition.
Issue Summary:

YES: Physician Thomas B. Freeman and his colleagues contend that their study of fetal tissue transplantation, which used imitation, or sham, surgery in one group of patients will establish whether this treatment is beneficial or not. Furthermore, this treatment will benefit thousands of patients with Parkinson's Disease if proven effective. (from "Use of Placebo Surgery in Controlled Trials of a Cellular-Based Therapy for Parkinson's Disease", The New England Journal of Medicine, September 23, 1999 ).

NO: Philosopher Ruth Macklin concludes that sham surgery is ethically unacceptable, particularly in the case of fetal tissue transplantation, because it does not minimize harm to subjects, a fundamental principle underlying research ethics. (from "The Ethical Problems with Sham Surgery in Clinical Research", The New England Journal of Medicine, September 23, 1999)

Articles

"Scientists question cloning research". Elias, Paula. Post and Courier. December 14, 2005.
University of Pittsburgh researcher Gerald Schatten demands being taken off of a Science article that details creating stem cell colonies for 11 patients through cloning. Another author, Hwang Woo-suk is being questioned for the validity of the article due to some ethical and data reporting issues. The first event that brought the author under scrutiny was collecting eggs from subordinate scientists, considered unethical. Schatten maintains that the findings were valid. The assertion that 11 stem cell colonies are growing must be false due to the fact that each colony must come from a separate individual but some of the colonies do not seem to be from unique individuals.

"British embryo screening raises issues". Cheng, Maria. Post and Courier. August 10, 2006.
Britain now allows couples to screen embryos for genes that raise the risk for developing cancer, called preimplantation genetic diagnosis. Critics say that technology is moving forward faster than society's ability to pace it. This new screening is different because, unlike screening for cystic fibrosis, the genes do not mean that cancer is imminent. Some are called for an international consensus on screening.

Internet Resources

Beyond Discovery
Beyond Discovery: The Path from Research to Human Benefit is a series of articles that trace the origins of important recent technological and medical advances. Each story reveals the crucial role played by basic science, the applications of which could not have been anticipated at the time the original research was conducted.