RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Is it acceptable to use animals to model obese humans? A critical discussion of two arguments against the use of animals in obesity research
JF Journal of Medical Ethics
JO J Med Ethics
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and Institute of Medical Ethics
SP 320
OP 324
DO 10.1136/medethics-2011-100368
VO 40
IS 5
A1 Thomas Bøker Lund
A1 Thorkild I A Sørensen
A1 I Anna S Olsson
A1 Axel Kornerup Hansen
A1 Peter Sandøe
YR 2014
UL http://jme.bmj.com/content/40/5/320.abstract
AB Animal use in medical research is widely accepted on the basis that it may help to save human lives and improve their quality of life. Recently, however, objections have been made specifically to the use of animals in scientific investigation of human obesity. This paper discusses two arguments for the view that this form of animal use, unlike some other forms of animal-based medical research, cannot be defended. The first argument leans heavily on the notion that people themselves are responsible for developing obesity and so-called ‘lifestyle’ diseases; the second involves the claim that animal studies of obesity's causes and therapies distract attention from preventive efforts. Drawing on both empirical data and moral reasoning, we argue that the relevant attributions of responsibility and claims about distraction are not plausible, and that, therefore, there is no reason to single out the use of animals in obesity research as especially problematic.