According to European Union Directive 2010/63 EU, which is a baseline for animal science and animal research ethics committees, “Animals have an intrinsic value which must be respected. There are also the ethical concerns of the public as regards the use of animals in procedures. Therefore, animals should always be treated as sentient creatures and their use in procedures should be restricted to areas which may ultimately benefit human or animal health, or the environment. The use of animals for scientific or educational purposes should only be considered where a non-animal alternative is unavailable…”
To this aim, in collaboration with ACU-DEHAM and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meltem Kolgazi, 6th Symposium of Bioethics Days was held on Animal Welfare and Bioethics, and welcomed Prof. Dr. Vlatko Ilieski from St Cyril & Methodius University in North Macedonia and Prof. Dr. Yesim Isil Ulman Acibadem University, History of Medicine and Ethics Dept., on November 22, 2024. Prof. Ilieski delivered a speech about animal welfare and its relevance to the idea One Health meaning that health of humans, animals and ecosystem are closely interlinked and deserve due care.
Prof. Ulman dealed with the role of bioethics in animal science to link, as a bridge, scientific facts with ethical values, including all living beings, humans, animals and the environment. She explained that the use of animals can be morally and ethically permissible only when the study is scientifically structured on a sound and robust basis, and conforms to the 3Rs Principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Research conducted on animals must abide not only by generally accepted scientific rules but also universally adopted ethical principles that have been designed to include additional provisions for avoiding or minimizing risk to animal subjects. She commented that the One Health approach is critical to addressing health threats in the animal-human-environment interface. She noted that understanding of sentience and pain in animals is significant to balance scientific advancement through responsible conduct of research and with respecting care and welfare of animals in every way possible.
Sources:
Directive 2010/63/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of animals used for scientific purposes, Official Journal of the European Union L 276/33, 20.10.2010
Ilieski et al (2017) A Blueprint to Evaluate One Health. Frontiers in Public Health 5:20. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2017.00020
Lauwereyns, et al. (2024) Toward a common interpretation of the 3Rs principles in animal research. Lab Anim 53, 347–350.
Ulman et al (2011) Preliminary Notes for Ethical Conduct of Animal Experimentation, Kafkas Univ. Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi, 17(6):1051-1056.
News Date: 22/11/2024
Last update date: 18/12/2024
