Do you feel that the ethical implications of using mice are important factors in your work?

Question: Do you feel that the ethical implications of using mice are important factors in your work?
- Keywords:
  ethics,
  mice
Asked by mayi001 to Simon on 23 Jun 2011.
- Simon Trent answered on 23 Jun 2011:
  
  Yes, it is important to consider. We have to study a training course and then be given a licence to work with animals and the law in the UK is very strict about what happends in certain situations. We also have animal staff that care about the animals welfare and a vet if animals become poorly.
  
  The ethics of it I suppose have to be considered by the individual doing the work. I found it difficult at first to do work with animals, but slowly I thought ‘This work is going to help people in the future and therefore work on animals is necessary’. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for animal work, whatever anyone else might say (some people think that working with cells in a dish or computer models can recreate the same environment as a living, breathing animal, when it clearly doesnt!).

Question: Do you feel that the ethical implications of using mice are important factors in your work?