What Would Miffy Do? Applying Informed Consent by Proxy to All Sentient Animals
Monique R. E. Janssens

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…
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Taxonomy
TopicsAnimal testing and alternatives · Human-Animal Interaction Studies
