Centre for Applied Bioethics, School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington Campus, Loughborough, Leicestershire LE12 5RD.
J Med Ethics. 2010 Jan;36(1):46-9. doi: 10.1136/jme.2009.030817.
Animal research remains a deeply controversial topic in biomedical science. While a vast amount has been written about the ethical status of laboratory animals, far less academic attention has been devoted to the public and, more specifically, to public opinion. Rather than what the public think, this article considers the role of 'public opinion'. It draws on a recent empirical study which involved interviews with laboratory scientists who use animals in their research, and with other UK stakeholders. The first section of the paper demonstrates that public opinion has become a kind of resource in the animal research debate. Public opinion polls, in particular, are frequently cited. The second section explores this further and argues that, for all sides, appealing to public opinion is a key way to show legitimacy. Finally, the paper shifts gear to consider whether public opinion should matter, both for ethical reasoning and for science policy.
动物研究在生物医学科学中仍然是一个极具争议的话题。虽然已经有大量关于实验动物伦理地位的文献，但学术界对公众的关注，更具体地说，对公众意见的关注却很少。本文关注的不是公众的想法，而是“公众意见”的作用。它借鉴了最近的一项实证研究，该研究涉及对在研究中使用动物的实验室科学家以及其他英国利益相关者的访谈。本文的第一部分表明，公众意见在动物研究辩论中已成为一种资源。民意调查，特别是经常被引用。第二部分对此进行了进一步探讨，并认为，对于所有各方来说，诉诸公众意见是表明合法性的关键途径。最后，本文将转变思路，考虑公众意见在伦理推理和科学政策方面是否重要。
