[GA - PASSED] Ethical Treatment of Animals in Research

Ethical Treatment of Animals in Research
Category: Health | Area of Effect: Bioethics
Proposed by: Maowi | Onsite Topic​

The World Assembly,

Appalled at the unnecessary infliction of severe pain and distress on animals in the name of science,

Aware of the all too high frequency of such occurrences,

Acknowledging that there are, unfortunately, circumstances in which society as a whole greatly benefits from the use of animal experimentation in scientific research and product development,

Hoping to reduce the harm inflicted on these animals to the minimum necessary to obtain such benefits,

Hereby enacts the following:

1. For the purposes of this resolution,
   
   1. an "animal" is defined as a non-sapient being with a nervous system or equivalent system by which it is naturally able to experience pain;
      
      
   2. "animal experimentation" is defined as the use of animals for scientific experimentation or product development; and
      
      
   3. an "animal research institute" is defined as any organisation which carries out animal experimentation.
      
      
   4. Animal research institutes may not harm animals physically or psychologically beyond the extent to which doing so is necessary to:
      
      1. achieve a scientific or product development aim, subject to clause 2.b. of this resolution, or
         
         
      2. avoid the infliction of comparable physical or psychological harm on a sapient to achieve a scientific or product development aim.
         
   5. Animal research institutes may not develop products whose main purpose is to harm animals physically or psychologically unless the product minimises the suffering of an animal harmed or killed for a lawful purpose or its function is of material benefit to its sapient owner.
      
      
   6. Animal research institutes may not conduct animal experimentation on animal species at risk of extinction, unless in order to aid conservation efforts of the animal species.
      
2. The World Health Authority Animal Experimentation Board (AEB) is established, and charged with researching alternatives to animal experimentation and making any findings derived from said research available, free of charge, to animal research institutes.
   
   
3. Animal research institutes must provide the AEB with accurate and comprehensive reports on all animal experimentation they carry out; the AEB must review these reports and submit them to the WACC where they find evidence of noncompliance with this resolution.
   
   1. Animal research institutes may petition the World Assembly General Fund for funding, which must be granted where the animal research institute is in genuine need of it for the minimisation of harm to animals during animal experimentation and the government of which the animal research institute is a subject refuses or is unable to provide sufficient funding.
      
      
   2. Animal research institutes must use all funding thus obtained from the World Assembly General Fund for the minimisation of harm to animals during animal experimentation only.
      
4. When not undergoing animal experimentation, animals in animal research institutes must be provided with, at minimum:
   
   1. sufficient nutrition for the preservation of the animals' long-term physical health,
      
      
   2. a hygienic living space, and
      
      
   3. a sufficiently uncrowded and spacious living space so as to avoid distress on the animals' behalf.
      
5. Animal research institutes may not kill animals they have used for animal experimentation, unless as a result of lawful animal experimentation, except as stipulated in clause 8 of this resolution.
   
   
6. When an animal research institute no longer needs an individual animal for animal experimentation,
   
   1. it must return the animal to the habitat in which it was captured, if it was initially captured for animal experimentation, the habitat is not private property, it is able to survive independently for the long term in the habitat, and it poses no risk of destroying this habitat; otherwise,
      
      
   2. it must hand over custody of the animal to a person or body which will provide it with the necessities described in clause 6 of this resolution, and must make a substantial and meaningful effort to locate such a person or body; where none is located,
      
      
   3. it must keep the animal, continuing to abide by the regulations of clause 6 of this resolution, or kill the animal, causing it as little pain and distress as possible.

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2. Animal research institutes may not harm animals physically or psychologically beyond the extent to which doing so is necessary to:
a. achieve a scientific or product development aim, subject to clause 2.b. of this resolution, or
b. avoid the infliction of comparable physical or psychological harm on a sapient to achieve a scientific or product development aim.

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