Vivisection in education: ethical and legal issues

Abstract

Vivisection is a usual practice among universities with biological areas courses. This work investigates legislation, sentence and legitimacy of the animal model that have been discussed over the last decades. The discussion about animals involves their condition of property and moral rights allocation, with sentence
likely to be the basis for moral consideration. Federal laws 9605/98 and 11974/08 regulate the use of animals in Brazil. However, animal models extrapolation is not always possible, and it may compromise scientific research and the learning process. Vivisection may be therefore abandoned or substituted in some classes, with the aim of improving education quality and ensuring the compliance with animal rights laws. We suggest a growing supply of more alternative methods to vivisection, since its prohibition without replacement would compromise education and scientific development, becoming not morally acceptable.