What do we owe lab animals?

The standard ethical guidelines encourage minimising the use of, and harm to, animals used in research. Some experts propose an additional courtesy: repayment

- BRANDON KEIM

WHEN LAUREN Strohacker received her second Covid-19 vaccine dose in the spring of 2021, she rejoiced. It meant she could see her friends again, go to concerts and live with far less fear that an infection might leave her physically or financially devastated.

But it became a bittersweet memory. Not long after Strohacker, an artist based in Knox County, Tenn, returned home from the vaccination site, she read an article about monkeys used in testing Covid vaccines.

"I thought, I'm afraid of a stupid needle," she said. "And these animals have to deal with this all the time." She reflected on how her newfound freedom, and quite possibly her health, came at the expense of animals suffering or dying to develop the vaccines.

Merely being grateful for those animals seemed insufficient; Strohackerwanted to give something tangible in return. A little online research returned the National AntiVivisection Society's sanctuary fund, which supports the care of retired lab animals. She made a small donation."To give thanks was the very least I could do,"Strohacker said.

Her gesture embodies a voice that is not often heard in debates about the use of animals in biomedical research. These tend to be polarised between opponents of the research, who claim that it is unethical and the benefits are overstated, and proponents who argue that the benefits are enormous and justify the harms to animals.