Commentaries on this month's cardiovascular controversy: The merits and demerits of animal experimentation from W.J. van der Giessen and P.D. Verdouw

In attempting to review the arguments in favour and against the use of animals in biomedical research one cannot circumvent discussing this in context of the use of animals for other purposes, such as breeding for slaughter with the aim of consumption, hunting, etc, and the motives for the agressive behaviour of some animal rights activists. If one adheres to the philosophy (belief) that animals are the equal of man, it may be logical to oppose the use of animals for experimentation, consumption, or any other purposes. Only a small minority in our society consistently sticks to this principle.
They can be respected for this if they also abstain from the benefits derived from animal experimentation. We know that some governments in Europe have such strict rules that it has become virtually impossible for animal experiments to be performed within their borders. We wonder whether these same governments will also prohibit registration of new drugs or technical developments for the treatment of diseases that have been developed using animal experiments performed outside their borders. [...]