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Why is an animal’s inability to consent a concern in animal-testing debates?

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Three PETA protesters in animal masks and green clothing hold signs reading No Fur at a demonstration against fur in clothing at a shopping district in Seoul, South Korea. — Animal rights A PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) demonstration in Seoul, South Korea, against the use of animals for fur in clothing.

In the context of applied ethics, the inability of animals to consent is a central concern because it challenges the moral justifiability of using them as subjects in scientific and medical experiments.12

Because animals cannot provide informed consent, they are unable to voluntarily agree to participate in research or opt out if they experience distress. This raises significant ethical questions regarding whether it is morally acceptable to subject sentient beings—who are capable of experiencing pain and suffering—to procedures that may cause them harm for the potential benefit of humans.231

This concern is often contrasted with the standards applied to human research, where voluntary consent is considered an essential ethical requirement. Critics of animal testing argue that because animals lack the agency to grant permission, their use in experiments is inherently problematic, necessitating a focus on the "three Rs": replacing animal models with alternatives, reducing the number of animals used, and refining procedures to minimize suffering.32