Question

A group of researchers wants to develop an experiment to determine whether a new drug treats high blood pressure effectively. The researchers want to inject the drug in monkeys first to determine whether there are any potential serious side effects.

Part A: What are some possible ethical issues to this type of testing?

Part B: While conducting the experiment, the researchers find that blood pressure levels return to normal, and they declare the drug is the cause of the change. Is this a good assumption? Explain.

Answer 1

Part A:

Possible ethical issues:

Since animals can perceive world around them, they have the right to live without human interference. So, humansshould not do animal research.It i wrong to treat animals simply astools for furthering knowledge. An animal should have as much right as human beings to live out a full life,free of pain and suffering.

Part B:

This is not a good assumption due to the following reason. Just because the blood pressure levels return to normal for monkeys after the consumption of the particular drug, it does not necessarily imply that for human beings also the drug should work the same way because monkeys and human beings are different for reacting to drugs. Further it is not clear whether the blood pressure came to normal because of the drug or some other confounding factors, which have not been considered by the researcher.