Derechos de los Animales versus Investigación Biológica

Resumen

Our present life, our socioeconomic development and the healthy life of our families are founded on the medical improvements achieved by scientific research. The discovery of vaccines and preventive treatments, as well as the development of new drugs and therapeutical strategies have doubled the life expectancy in Western countries. Children mortality, that was not so long ago the rule in most Spanish families, is now something exceptional. These clear improvements are supported by biomedical research using animals as experimentation subjects. Nevertheless, animal experimentation is focus to strong criticisms from sectors of the public opinion and there are activists that try to end or to reduce drastically animal research. Some groups use violence or terrorism to support their postulates. The present article provides an overview of our current situation and advocates a more active role for the scientific community in defence of progress and health.