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Sir Bill Crum emphasizes a fundamental keynote of biomedical-research ethics in his Correspondence 'It should be possible to replace animals in research' (_Nature_ 457, 657; 2009)
by stating that “good medical science” is not necessarily “morally justifiable or morally acceptable”. On the other hand, many states and societies claim 'freedom of research' —
meaning research being free from the need for justification — as a basic right. On the face of it, this looks like a discrepancy. However, we have to recognize the fact that this freedom,
like every other kind of freedom, has its ethical limits. Research can only be a right as long as it is not acting against our fundamental moral value: respect for human dignity. This is the
basic point that we should agree on, regardless of our different opinions on what might constitute a breach of that principle. With human dignity in mind, the ethical discussion about
research on non-human primates has to focus on answering two questions. First, would prohibiting studies on primates constitute a threat to the human dignity of future generations, by
reducing their chances of what we could consider a good life, as Roberto Caminiti states in his Correspondence 'Replacement of animals in research will never be possible' (_Nature_
457, 147; 2009)? Second, is performing “invasive medical experiments” on creatures that “provide excellent experimental models of human cognition”, as Crum states, a threat to our own
dignity and our vision of how a good life should be led? Only by using human dignity as the normative correlate for ethical decisions can we ensure that these decisions will be made on a
basis that is equally important to all parties in this debate. AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Basal Ganglia Pathophysiology Unit, Lund University, BMC F11-46, Lund, 221 84,
Sweden Tim Fieblinger Authors * Tim Fieblinger View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar ADDITIONAL INFORMATION _Readers are welcome to comment at
_ http://tinyurl.com/c62pgf Contributions may be submitted to [email protected]. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE Fieblinger, T.
Human dignity must be basis for debate on primate research. _Nature_ 457, 1079 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/4571079a Download citation * Published: 25 February 2009 * Issue Date: 26
February 2009 * DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/4571079a SHARE THIS ARTICLE Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Get shareable link Sorry, a shareable
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