What Would Miffy Do? Applying Informed Consent by Proxy to All Sentient Animals

TL;DR

The paper suggests using proxy informed consent for sentient animals to respect their interests when used for human purposes.

Contribution

It introduces the idea of proxy consent as a novel ethical approach for animal use.

Findings

Non-human animals cannot fully understand risks and benefits like humans.

Proxy consent from humans can help estimate animal preferences.

Seeking assent and observing dissent are important alongside proxy consent.

Abstract

To respect the interests of sentient animals, we should consider asking for their consent before using them for human purposes. While mentally competent humans can provide informed consent by understanding the risks and benefits, non-human animals cannot fully understand these aspects. Thus, we need other methods to determine their preferences and choices. A promising approach is to obtain informed consent by proxy from humans, alongside seeking assent from the animals where possible and paying attention to any signs of dissent.

If we want to take sentient non-human animals and their interests seriously, we can try to ask for their consent before using them for human purposes. With mentally competent humans, we speak of informed consent: for them to participate in scientific studies, for example, it is required that they consent explicitly, in full understanding of the risks and benefits. This full understanding cannot be expected from non-human animals. We must therefore look for ways to know what they want and to estimate what they would do if they had a deep understanding of their options and the consequences of these options for themselves and others. This concept is explored by applying it to animal experiments. The most promising method is to gain informed consent by proxy from thoroughly informed competent humans, in combination with seeking assent where possible and being alert to dissent.