Justice of Animal Use in the Veterinary Profession

摘要

One foundation of medical justice for physicians and their patients is that each patient has equality in their access to healthcare. Human patients should not be denied, or granted, treatment based upon clinically irrelevant data. Veterinary medicineis an allied profession with many similar requirements to medical 'principlism' and is able to offer many of the advanced treatments and interventions of human medicine. Yet, veterinary medicine differs on this fundamental point: treatments are offered,and patient end-points decided, with consideration of non-clinical data such as the utility of the animal to mankind. This has been justified by claims of decreased moral status for animals in relation to people, and the property status of animals, but has been rejected by those who claim animals have a right to absolute liberty. While human patients receive treatment independent of their 'purpose', animal treatment is dependent upon it. Treatments choices maybe dependent upon what the animal can give to people in return, notwithstanding other confounding factors (e.g. financial constraints).This paper considers the concept of medical justice, some of the differences between humans and animals, and the absence of medical justice in the veterinary sphere. The concept of medical justice may be inappropriate in veterinary medicine, appropriatebut not applied or appropriate if in a modified form.