The Potential Role of Local Ethical Committees in the Moderation of Experiments on Animals in Britain

Scientists working with laboratory animals in Britain are made aware forcibly that a serious ethical dilemma surrounds the use of animals in experiments. Certain vociferous sections of the community press the issue on the attention of the general public and media sources tend to propagate views expressed by the most extreme parties, while neglecting coverage of mature, rational opinion. It is, perhaps no bad thing for the scientific community to be frequently reminded to take a responsible attitude to the use of animals but recent overt, even illegal, activity on the part of extremist animal protectionist groups has encouraged a regrettable polarisation of viewpoints with some scientific institutions seeking to withdraw still further from public scrutiny and accountability