Some Ethical Considerations Concerning the Use of Live Animals in Biology Experiments

As biology teachers we are continually faced with decisions regarding the use of experiments in order to identify, investigate, clarify or illustrate a particular concept or concepts. If an experiment is to be performed we frequently have to decide whether to use live animals, preserved animal specimens, preserved animal organs, fresh animal organs (from, say, the butcher), tissue cultures, audio-visual simulations or even class members as the subjects. Many students, and indeed many teachers, have been reticent about their acceptance of experimenting with live, or freshly killed animals; frequently the issue is settled by reference to such work being in the interests of science or knowledge