Radiology, Vol 184, 647-651, Copyright © 1992 by Radiological Society of North America
Animal rights and research: common sense must prevail
JH Anderson
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21205.
The advances that radiologic science has experienced in recent history have
been earned through many means, one of them being animal research. Since
the 1980s, animal research has come increasingly into the public eye,
through the efforts of animal welfare and animal rights activist groups.
These groups, by their varied means, have exacted changes in how animals
are used experimentally and how the public perceives such use. In some
cases, their lobbying efforts have resulted in laws that raise the cost of
research and provide little improvement in animal welfare. Because of the
financial and political power of these groups and the increasing public
awareness of such issues, it is extremely important that the medical and
scientific communities become more involved in educating the public on the
importance of animal research and clarifying the difference between animal
welfare and animal rights. Equally important, the medical community must
continue to adhere to high standards in research that involves animals.
