The UW-Madison recently hosted a conversation on the ethics of animal research between Rick Marolt, an opponent of animal research, and Robert Streiffer, a bioethicist at the university and member of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Here are some of my thoughts on this interesting exchange. The good: Above all, it is good … Continue reading A Public Conversation on Animal Ethics: The good, the bad, and the ugly
Author: darioringach
Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare 101: A Crash Course for Legislators
I recently wrote a letter to Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA) explaining my reasons for opposing the Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act. Either a failure to read or understand the content of my letter, led her to reply as follows: I am not sure if the congresswoman is indeed an advocate of animal rights, … Continue reading Animal Rights vs. Animal Welfare 101: A Crash Course for Legislators
PeTA tries to save face… and fails.
During the past month the University of Wisconsin responded to an aggressive media campaign by PeTA suggesting photos of animal studies they obtained are “proof” of violations of the Animal Welfare Act. PeTA filed complaints with the USDA and the National Institutes of Health demanding an investigation. The university responded point-by-point to PeTA complaint stating … Continue reading PeTA tries to save face… and fails.
Conspiracy and greed
Opponents of the use of animals in medical research have difficulty reconciling their claim that the scientific work is invalid and fraudulent with the fact that it has wide support among the scientific community and professional organizations. A recent poll by the Pew Research Center found that 93% of scientists favor the use of animals … Continue reading Conspiracy and greed
Lori Gruen on the Ethical Justification of Animal Research Experiments
Prof. Lori Gruen gave an interesting talk this week at the University of Wisconsin at Madison on Animal Research and the Limits of Medicine. You can watch her presentation and discussion here. She appealed to those engaged in animal research to offer a more detailed explanation of how the cost and benefits of individual experiments … Continue reading Lori Gruen on the Ethical Justification of Animal Research Experiments
The moral relevance of human intelligence
Animal rights proponents often assert that “sentience” is the only morally relevant characteristic. In their view, we owe the same moral consideration to all sentient living beings, which must include the same basic rights to life and freedom. The animal rights philosopher asks -- Why does it matter if humans can compose a violin concerto … Continue reading The moral relevance of human intelligence
Consciousness and Moral Status
A group of scientists recently gathered at the Francis Crick Memorial Conference and issued the following declaration which as been widely covered in the media: The absence of a neocortex does not appear to preclude an organism from experiencing affective states. Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of … Continue reading Consciousness and Moral Status
Amblyopia, kittens and BUAV’s deception
Normal vision relies on healthy eyes, retinas, and their proper wiring of the brain structures that process visual information. Light which enters the eye is sensed by photoreceptors on the retina. The information is then transmitted via the optic nerve to the lateral geniculate nucleus and from there to the first stage of cortical visual … Continue reading Amblyopia, kittens and BUAV’s deception
Speaking of Research 