Herwig Grimm | University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (original) (raw)

Books by Herwig Grimm

IN: Kippermann, B; Rollin, BE [Hrsg.]: Ethics in Veterinary Practice: Balancing Conflicting Interests., 2022

In: Kipperman, B; Rollin, BE [Hrsg.]: Ethics in Veterinary Practice: Balancing Conflicting Interests., 2022

The main objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of the Banimal patient^ to academic ... more The main objective of this paper is to introduce the concept of the Banimal patient^ to academic debates on animal ethics, veterinary ethics and medical ethics. This move reflects the prioritization of the animal patient in the veterinary profession's own current ethical self-conception. Our paper contributes to the state of research by analysing the conceptual prerequisites for the constitution and understanding of animals as patients through the lens of two concepts fundamental to the medical field: health and disease. The first section describes, how these concepts are inextricably entangled with the animal's becoming a patient. The understanding of health and disease, we determine, has a great impact on the actual treatment of animals as patients. We show that a naturalistic perspective on health and disease still prevails in the veterinary field. By contrast, we use a historical study to demonstrate how a socio-historical perspective on animal diseases enriches our understanding of veterinary practice and its ethical dimensions. This perspective will prove not only able to deal with the wide variety of veterinary patients, but also to release underlying normative processes to ethical reflection and research. We elaborate on that assertion by spelling out the constructive dimension between the veterinary gaze and the objects of its experience. The final section brings veterinary medicine's ethical relationship to the animal patient into the picture. The discipline is guided by an ethical principle of advocacy, defined as the responsibility to recognise and defend the animal patient's interest in health. Our principle conclusion is that ethical philosophical thinking on interactions between specific notions of health and disease and animal patients makes a substantial contribution to surmounting this moral challenge. As 'health' and 'disease' determine the options for the articulation of an animal patient's interest, investigation into the ever-changing and particular conceptualisations of these notions fosters its recognition. We conclude with a prospect resulting from those theoretical insights: meeting the animal patient's interest

Small veterinary practice is experiencing steady improvement in diagnostics and therapies which e... more Small veterinary practice is experiencing steady improvement in diagnostics and therapies which enable veterinarians to offer evermore advanced medical care for their patients. This focus group study of veterinarians (n = 32) examined the impact of these improvements and the potential challenges they introduce in small animal practice. It shows that while advanced diagnostics and therapies deliver benefits in patient care, they also add complexities to decision-making. Although the veterinarians participating in the study were aware of their duty to act in the best interests of the animal, their decisions were highly dependent on factors such as the client’s financial background and the emotional bond between client and animal, as well as the veterinarian’s place of work, and level and field of specialization, and certain economic aspects of the practice. The overall conclusion is that small animal veterinarians are increasingly torn between serving the best interests of the animal, medical feasibility and contextual factors related to the client, the veterinarian, and professional colleagues. Further, the findings suggest that services are not only oriented towards the provision of medical care in a strict medical sense. On top of this, veterinarians need to deal with various expectations and wishes of clients which influence their decision-making. As it will be shown, factors like the possibility of referring patients to specialist veterinarians or prompt diagnostic results influence their decision-making. View Full-Text

Zwischen Menschen und Tieren besteht seit jeher eine enge und spannungsreiche Beziehung. Doch ers... more Zwischen Menschen und Tieren besteht seit jeher eine enge und spannungsreiche Beziehung. Doch erst seit gut vierzig Jahren wird unter dem Begriff der Tierethik unsere moralische Verantwortung gegenüber Tieren intensiv verhandelt. Seit den klassischen Argumentationen von Peter Singer oder Tom Regan sind tierethische Überlegungen in alltäglichen und gesellschaftlichen Debatten präsent, wobei Schlagwörter wie »Speziesismus«, »Veganismus« oder »Tierrechte« die Gemüter beunruhigen. Die Tierethik hat sich aber seither weiterentwickelt. Diese Einführung legt sowohl klassische Ansätze als auch neuere Entwicklungen in der Tierethik dar. Neben zentralen Fragen, Argumenten und Einwänden diskutiert der Band auch drängende ethische Fragestellungen in praktischen Anwendungsfeldern (Nutztiere, Tierpark, Tierexperiment).

Papers by Herwig Grimm

BRILL, 2024

Shame has many faces. On the one hand, it contributes to social cohesion and seems to be indispen... more Shame has many faces. On the one hand, it contributes to social cohesion and seems to be indispensable to human morality. A liability to shame is widely regarded as a virtue, while shamelessness is considered morally reprehensible and dysfunctional. On the other hand, shame has shown to be associated with (self-)destructive behaviours and various negative psychological conditions. Moreover, in enforcing norms and values, shame often exhibits a dangerous normalizing function. In this article, we want to inquire into the nature of the relation between shame and power. The aim of this article is to answer the question, whether shame can also have a different, critical relation to power. Drawing on Gilles Deleuze's engagement with Primo Levi, we will show that shame, rather than functioning as an instrument of oppression, can take on a critical role with regard to normative infrastructures. In using ethical-human animal issues, particularly dietary norms, to prove this thesis, our article also responds to Crary and Gruen's call for an approach to animal ethics that is more sensitive to oppressive social and political structures than traditional approaches, since our argument shows how shame can play an important role in a critical animal theory.

BRILL, 2024

This paper explores the phenomenon of moral distress in veterinary practice, particularly in envi... more This paper explores the phenomenon of moral distress in veterinary practice, particularly in environments like animal husbandry, where real-life barriers are in conflict with veterinarians' moral beliefs. This paper draws controversial parallels, at least on first sight, with Just War Theory, which is understood as a nonideal theory in response to morally non-ideal circumstances. The paper examines how veterinarians, corresponding to combatants, can navigate moral conundrums within their profession. It discusses the limitations of general ethics in guiding professionals like veterinarians who operate, just like soldiers, in morally non-ideal circumstances. It argues that while general ethics offers universal claims, it fails to address the complexities of real-world barriers faced by veterinarians, such as conflicting interests, economic pressures, and legal regulations. Using Just War Theory as a framework, the paper distinguishes between systemic factors and individual conduct in understanding moral distress. It suggests that veterinarians are not responsible for changing the system but are best advised to ensure ethical conduct within their profession. This perspective acknowledges the tension between moral beliefs and professional demands, highlighting the importance of maintaining agential integrity while recognizing the limitations in effecting systemic change. Ultimately, the paper concludes that veterinarians are permitted to focus on fulfilling their professional duties while remaining cognizant of their moral beliefs.

BMC Veterinary Research, 2024

Quality of life (QoL) provides a comprehensive concept underpinning veterinary decision-making th... more Quality of life (QoL) provides a comprehensive concept underpinning veterinary decision-making that encompasses factors beyond physical health. It becomes particularly pertinent when seeking responsible choices for chronically ill or old horses that emphasise their well-being and a good QoL over the extension of life. How different stakeholders use the concept of QoL is highly relevant when considering the complexity of these decisions in real-life situations.

PLoS ONE, 2024

The harm-benefit analysis (HBA) is a cornerstone of the European Directive 2010/63/EU (the Direct... more The harm-benefit analysis (HBA) is a cornerstone of the European Directive 2010/63/EU (the Directive). The Directive regulates the care and handling of animals used for scientific purposes in the European Union (EU). Since its implementation, there has been ongoing debate around the practical applicability of the HBA for research project review processes. The objectives of this study are to analyze the operationalization of HBA in EU member states and investigate the consistency of HBA's implementation in terms of national legislation and available policy documents. To meet these objectives, we evaluated the transposition of the HBA requirement into national legislation. We also conducted a comprehensive comparative cross-national analysis of all guidance documents pertinent to HBA. The results of our study show that there are (1) deficits in the transposition of the HBA requirement into national laws, (2) significant discrepancies in available policy documents relating to HBA, and (3) insufficiently consistent implementations of HBA in European countries.

Analytic Philosophy, 2024

In this paper, we identify and explain three kinds of bedrock in moral thought. The term "bedrock... more In this paper, we identify and explain three kinds of bedrock in moral thought. The term "bedrock," as introduced by Wittgenstein in §217 of the Philosophical Investigations, stands for the end of a chain of reasoning. We affirm that some chains of moral reasoning do indeed end with certainty. However, different kinds of certainties in morality work in different ways. In the course of systematizing the different types of certainties, we argue that present accounts of certainties in morality do not reflect their diversity. Our analysis yields three types of moral certainty: quasi-undoubtable certain propositions, certain propositions, and transcendental certainties. We show that the first two types can, at least to some extent, be intelligibly doubted. Therefore, they do not possess the characteristics that would classify them as bedrock in the strictest sense. Transcendental certainties cannot likewise be doubted because they are rules that enable moral thinking. Thus, deviating from them is unintelligible. We shall argue that all three types reflect ways in which moral language games come to an end, while only one, transcendental certainties, displays the characteristic of being solid bedrock.

Journal of Value Inquiry, 2024

In this paper, we tackle the widely held view that practice-oriented approaches to ethics are con... more In this paper, we tackle the widely held view that practice-oriented approaches to ethics are conservative, preserving the moral status quo, and, in particular, that they do not promote any (fundamental) change in our dealings with animals or formulate clear principles that help us to achieve such change. We shall challenge this view with reference to Wittgensteinian ethics. As a first step, we show that moral thought and action rest on basic moral certainties like: equals are to be treated equally and unequals unequally. We then explore the relations between this insight and the notion of the difficulty of reality elaborated by Cora Diamond. Our goal is to show that a Wittgensteinian-Diamondian approach to animal ethics is not necessarily morally conservative. Indeed, it offers a profound practice-oriented approach to animal ethics that is capable of promoting change in human dealings with animals because it is compatible with radical critique.

Science, 2024

In November 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded its public comme... more In November 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded its public comment period on a new framework (1) to coordinate the US response to public health and zoonotic disease challenges. The proposed plan will establish an interagency One Health program that brings practitioners and academics together to improve biodefense and pandemic preparation (2, 3). The initiative rightly recognizes the importance of broad scientific expertise, but it does not sufficiently incorporate public health ethics.

PLoS One, 2021

Small animal veterinarians frequently have to manage conflicting interests. Beside the key consid... more Small animal veterinarians frequently have to manage conflicting interests. Beside the key consideration of the patient's interests, small animal veterinarians are often challenged to consider not only client's emotional needs, but also their own personal aspirations to provide quality patient care and to make a good living as a professional. Further, veterinarians have an interest in continuous professional development and the use of the newest treatments, which may influence their decision-making process. Based on published work, we hypothesize the existence of four decision ethics orientations that veterinarians can use to manage potentially conflicting concerns. These are: the patient-focused, the client-empathetic, the client-devolved and the development-oriented decision ethics orientations. We surveyed small animal veterinarians in Austria, Denmark, and the UK using a questionnaire (N = 648), and successfully identified the four decision ethics orientations in all three countries. The patient-focused and client-empathetic decision ethics orientations are salient in all countries, whereas Danish and UK veterinarians are slightly more client-empathetic and clientdevolved compared to their Austrian colleagues. Across countries our findings show that experienced and older veterinarians tend to be more client-empathetic. Younger and less experienced professionals are more development-oriented compared to their older and more experienced colleagues. In contrast to other studies investigating ethical issues in small animal practice, we found no evidence that gender plays a decisive role in the tendency towards any decision ethics orientation. We also show that veterinarians with a higher client-empathetic orientation and development-orientation more often discuss the possibility of health insurance with clients who do not have it. The present study provides a first empirical insight into how veterinarians manage challenging expectations and ethical concerns as part of decision making in modern small animal practice.

Animals, 2021

Housing and management conditions strongly influence the health, welfare and behaviour of horses.... more Housing and management conditions strongly influence the health, welfare and behaviour of horses. Consequently, objective and quantifiable comparisons between domestic environments and their influence on different equine demographics are needed to establish evidence-based criteria to assess and optimize horse welfare. Therefore, the present study aimed to measure and compare the time budgets (=percentage of time spent on specific activities) of horses with chronic orthopaedic disease and geriatric (≥20 years) horses living in different husbandry systems using an automated tracking device. Horses spent 42% (range 38.3–44.8%) of their day eating, 39% (range 36.87–44.9%) resting, and 19% (range 17–20.4%) in movement, demonstrating that geriatric horses and horses suffering from chronic orthopaedic disease can exhibit behaviour time budgets equivalent to healthy controls. Time budget analysis revealed significant differences between farms, turn-out conditions and time of day, and could identify potential areas for improvement. Horses living in open-air group housing on a paddock had a more uniform temporal distribution of feeding and movement activities with less pronounced peaks compared to horses living in more restricted husbandry systems.

Animals, 2021

Recumbency is a prerequisite for horses achieving rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and completing a... more Recumbency is a prerequisite for horses achieving rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and completing a full sleep cycle. An inability to lie down due to environmental insecurities or pain results in REM sleep deficiency, which can cause substantial impairment of welfare and health. Therefore, the present study used wearable automated sensor technology on 83 horses housed in an animal sanctuary to measure and compare the recumbency, locomotion, and standing time budgets of geriatric horses with and without chronic lameness to younger adult sound and lame horses. Recumbency times ranged from 0 to 319 min per day with an overall mean of 67.4 (±61.9) minutes; the time budget for locomotion was 19.1% (±11.2% s.d.) and for standing 75.6% (±13.1 s.d.). Interestingly, neither age nor lameness due to chronic orthopedic disease had a significant influence on recumbency times in this study. Eight horses showed symptoms of REM deficit. These horses had significantly shorter lying times (7.99 ± 11.4 min) and smaller locomotion time budgets than the other horses enrolled in this study (73.8 ± 61.8 min), indicating a general compromise of well-being. Thus, wearable sensor technology can be used to identify horses with low recumbency times at risk for REM sleep deficiency and to assess and monitor equine welfare objectively.

IN: Kippermann, B; Rollin, BE [Hrsg.]: Ethics in Veterinary Practice: Balancing Conflicting Interests., 2022

In: Kipperman, B; Rollin, BE [Hrsg.]: Ethics in Veterinary Practice: Balancing Conflicting Interests., 2022

BRILL, 2024

BMC Veterinary Research, 2024

PLoS ONE, 2024

Analytic Philosophy, 2024

Journal of Value Inquiry, 2024

Science, 2024

PLoS One, 2021

Animals, 2021

Veterinary Record, 2022

Background: Social media is increasingly used in small animal practice, enabling veterinarians to... more Background: Social media is increasingly used in small animal practice, enabling veterinarians to connect with clients and promote their business online. It can also be used by clients to quickly distribute complaints via online communities. Material/methods: Using a questionnaire study we investigated Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians' attitudes towards Facebook, the contents of clients' online complaints and how they were handled by veterinarians (N = 648). Results: In Denmark and the UK, around 90% of practices had a Facebook page, in contrast to 40% of Austrian practices. Most Danish and UK veterinarians agreed that the use of Facebook was relevant and expected by clients. Agreement was lower among Austrian veterinarians, probably reflecting the lower uptake of social media there. In particular, younger veterinarians and those who actively used Facebook for the practice, could see benefits. In all three countries, we found that clients most frequently complained about treatment costs. Most veterinarians preferred to actively deal with clients' complaints, either replying online or discussing them directly. Conclusions: We recommend future research focusing on veterinarians' personal use of social media and on clients' use of and attitudes towards social media in the veterinary context.

Veterinary Record, 2022

Background: Health insurance offers many benefits to clients and veterinarians, such as the abili... more Background: Health insurance offers many benefits to clients and veterinarians, such as the ability to perform necessary and possibly cost-intensive medical interventions without financial constraints, or to potentially prevent euthanasia based on financial challenges. However, concerns about negative consequences, such as the overuse of diagnostic tests or overtreatment, have also been raised. Methods: Using an online questionnaire distributed via e-mail, which included a section on health insurance, we investigated the relative number of insured dogs and cats treated by Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians (N = 636) and the attitudes of those veterinarians toward health insurance. Further, using a case vignette, we examined whether coverage by health insurance may influence treatment suggestions. Results: Even though veterinarians in all three countries believe that health insurance reduces stress since clients' financial resources will be less important, we found that Austrian veterinarians are more likely to agree that health insurance is unnecessary compared to Danish and UK veterinarians. Further, many raised the concern that insurance policies influence clinical decisions; and less than half supported the idea of making insurance mandatory. A majority of veterinarians in Austria and the UK thought that insurance can lead to the overuse of diagnostic tests, and in the UK a majority also thought that it can lead to overtreatment. Using case vignettes, we found that veterinarians were significantly more likely to suggest a CT scan to a client with an insured animal, in contrast to a client with stated financial limitations. Further, UK veterinarians were more likely to suggest a CT scan to a client with an insured animal, in contrast to a client without insurance. Conclusion: In conclusion, we found that veterinarians, in general, were in favour of health insurance, and that greater coverage may increase more costintensive veterinary care. Our findings also raise a potential ethical challenge of health insurance causing differential access to clinical care for patients.

Animals, 2022

Veterinary medicine is increasingly affected by animal owners having the opportunity to become be... more Veterinary medicine is increasingly affected by animal owners having the opportunity to become better informed on pet health issues by using various internet resources. Using an online questionnaire including a section on clients’ use of internet resources to obtain medical information,
this study aimed to investigate veterinarians’ estimates of the percentage of clients using internet resources, how often clients question veterinarians’ professional medical advice based on online information, and veterinarians’ attitudes towards clients’ use of internet resources, across Austrian, Danish, and UK veterinarians (n = 641). The results show that 48.8% of respondents estimated that 40–79% of their clients use internet resources to find medical information. Further, 70–80% of
respondents stated that they are occasionally challenged by clients questioning their advice based on online information. Although veterinarians recognized the potential advantages related to clients’
use of internet resources, such as an increased acceptance of advanced diagnostics and treatments, they also highlighted clients’ increased expectations or false impressions of small animal practices as potentially negative aspects in this context. As internet use increases, it seems likely that these issues will become increasingly important in the future.

Animals, 2022

Equine Quality of Life (QoL) is an important concern in decision making in veterinary medicine an... more Equine Quality of Life (QoL) is an important concern in decision making in veterinary medicine and is especially relevant for chronically ill or geriatric horses towards the end of their lives. To our knowledge, there is no currently available QoL assessment tool for chronically ill or geriatric horses that assesses equine QoL defined as the horse’s evaluation of their life. However, tools exist to assess equine welfare in different contexts. Hence, the aims of this study were to analyse how equine welfare, QoL, well-being and happiness assessment tools label, define and operationalise the concepts and to discuss the tools’ suitability to assess equine QoL in the context of end-of-life decisions for chronically ill or geriatric horses. Fourteen articles were found through a systematic
literature search, describing ten equine welfare assessment tools and one approach to integrating equine QoL in veterinary practice that suggests QoL assessment parameters. We discuss that some welfare assessment tools have the potential to support the development of a QoL assessment tool informing decisions towards the end of horses’ lives if they are adjusted to focus on the horses’ experiences, to provide an integration into an overall QoL grade and are tailored to chronically ill or geriatric horses.

Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 2022

Journal of Value Inquiry, 2022

In the wake of Peter Singer’s and Tom Regan’s famous works on animal ethics, new paradigms are co... more In the wake of Peter Singer’s and Tom Regan’s famous works on animal ethics, new paradigms are constantly being sought out to redefine the relationship between humans and animals and to enable a better life for those life forms recognized as having moral value. These new paradigms are constituted in continuity with Singer’s or Regan’s aims to formulate concrete principles on behalf of animals or are meant to create alternatives to speciesist positions in regards to animal rights or welfare. Examples can be found in virtue-ethical (e.g. Nussbaum; Hursthouse), pragmatic (e.g. McReynolds), and contractarian (e.g. Rowlands) approaches, as well as in approaches associated with contemporary Continental philosophy, such as deconstruction and poststructuralism (e.g. Derrida; Haraway).1 However, while leaving behind speciesist prejudices, i.e. the categorical exclusion of nonhuman animals from moral consideration, the issue of anthropocentrism, which denominates the concept of the human (or the notion of human subjectivity) and human capacities (e.g. reason) as the benchmarks of moral value, remains unsolved in many aspects. As will be shown, anthropocentrism may not necessarily be considered as a particular form of speciesism, but rather as opposed to it. Additionally, the critique of anthropocentrism may target two different aspects, a moral problem and an epistemic problem. Deconstructive or poststructuralist approaches often diverge from other positions in animal ethics, as their critique of anthropocentrism additionally addresses the epistemic level.

Background: Euthanasia of pets has been described by veterinarians as "the best and the worst" of... more Background: Euthanasia of pets has been described by veterinarians as "the best and the worst" of the profession. The most commonly mentioned ethical dilemmas veterinarians face in small animal practice are: limited treatment options due to financial constraints, euthanizing of healthy animals and owners wishing to continue treatment of terminally ill animals. The aim of the study was to gain insight into the attitudes of Austrian veterinarians towards euthanasia of small animals. This included assessing their agreement with euthanasia in exemplified case scenarios, potentially predicted by demographic variables (e.g. gender, age, working in small animal practice, employment, working in a team, numbers of performed euthanasia). Further describing the veterinarians' agreement with a number of different normative and descriptive statements, including coping strategies. A questionnaire with nine euthanasia scenarios, 26 normative and descriptive statements, and demographic data were sent to all members of the Austrian Chamber of Veterinary Surgeons (n = 2478). Results: In total, 486 veterinarians answered sufficiently completely to enable analyses. Responses were first explored descriptively before being formally analysed using linear regression and additive Bayesian networks-a multivariate regression methodology-in order to identify joint relationships between the demographic variables, the statements and each of the nine euthanasia scenarios. Mutual dependencies between the demographic variables were found, i.e. female compared to male veterinarians worked mostly in small animal practice, and working mostly in small animal practice was linked to performing more euthanasia per month. Conclusions: Gender and age were found to be associated with views on euthanasia: female veterinarians and veterinarians having worked for less years were more likely to disagree with euthanasia in at least some of the convenience euthanasia scenarios. The number of veterinarians working together was found to be the variable with the highest number of links to other variables, demographic as well as ethical statements. This highlights the role of a team potentially providing support in stressful situations. The results are useful for a better understanding of coping strategies for veterinarians with moral stress due to euthanasia of small animals.

Animal experiments are widely required to comply with the 3Rs, to minimise harm to the animals an... more Animal experiments are widely required to comply with the 3Rs, to minimise harm to the animals and to serve certain purposes in order to be ethically acceptable. Recently, however, there has been a drift towards adding a so-called harm-benefit analysis as an additional requirement in assessing experiments. According to this, an experiment should only be allowed if there is a positive balance when the expected harm is weighed against the expected benefits. This paper aims to assess the added value of this requirement. Two models, the discourse model and the metric model, are presented. According to the former, the weighing of harms and benefits must be conducted by a committee in which different stakeholders engage in a dialogue. Research into how this works in practice, however, shows that in the absence of an explicit and clearly defined methodology , there are issues about transparency, consistency and fairness. According to the metric model, on the other hand, several dimensions of harms and benefits are defined beforehand and integrated in an explicit weighing scheme. This model, however, has the problem that it makes no real room for ethical deliberation of the sort committees undertake, and it has therefore been criticised for being too technocratic. Also, it is unclear who is to be held accountable for built-in ethical assumptions. Ultimately, we argue that the two models are not mutually exclusive and may be combined to make the most of their advantages while reducing the disadvantages of how harm-benefit analysis in typically undertaken.

Transforming food systems: ethics, innovation and responsibility, 2022

The field of veterinary oncology has advanced greatly over the last decade, and veterinarians hav... more The field of veterinary oncology has advanced greatly over the last decade, and veterinarians have an important role in advising owners on whether and when certain treatments, such as radiotherapy, are indicated for dogs and cats. Using an online questionnaire (N=636), we investigated what treatment Austrian, Danish and UK veterinarians would recommend for a cat and a dog in a disease scenario where adjunctive radiotherapy would be optimal (a cat with a feline injection-site sarcoma and a dog with a soft tissue sarcoma). In both scenarios, around 40% of the veterinarians suggested radiotherapy, around 10% advised against it and around 27% did not make any recommendation. No significant differences were found in the advice given based on species. However, we identified that Danish veterinarians were significantly less likely to suggest radiotherapy compared to their UK and Austrian colleagues. Further, we found that veterinarians with additional qualifications or a greater interest in advancing veterinary medicine were more likely to recommend radiotherapy. Even though veterinarians would recommend radiotherapy for both species equally, the fact that approximately one quarter of veterinarians would not make any recommendation raises a potential ethical challenge since it may lead to different access of treatment for animal patients suffering from cancer.

17th Congress of the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics, 2022

Clinical Ethics Support Services (CESS) have recently found their way from human into veterinary ... more Clinical Ethics Support Services (CESS) have recently found their way from human into veterinary medicine to assist with ethically challenging decisions. However, literature is scarce on structures for veterinary CESS that detail what case discussions and their outcomes, in an ethics committee or with stakeholders, can look like. The aim of this work is to report and discuss a process for case discussions with stakeholders and an impartial facilitator based on experiences with a CESS in an equine hospital. We applied six steps during these case discussions: (1) introducing method and participants; (2) describing the problematic situation and associated goals; (3) collecting propective treatment options; (4) discussing options; (5) developing an action plan with corresponding checkpoints; (6) concluding the discussion. The intended outcome of this process is agreement on an action plan which details the horse’s treatment in the form of scenarios with checkpoints for evaluating treatment success at specified time points and based on clinical parameters defined in the case discussion. In combination with ethics tools, this 6-step process has the potential to be a powerful tool for supporting challenging decisions in veterinary medicine by combining metric and discourse models of decision-making and resulting in well-considered and transparent outcomes.

17th Congress of the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics, 2022

The Harm-Benefit Analysis (HBA) is a procedure used to assess research protocols involving animal... more The Harm-Benefit Analysis (HBA) is a procedure used to assess research protocols involving animals used for scientific purposes on the basis of the 38th article of the Directive 2010/63/EU and corresponding Member States’ legal acts. Such analysis aims at weighing the harms inflicted on the animals with the benefits that can be acquired through their use. The HBA has already faced several criticisms. A major, however often overlooked problem, is its incapacity to deal with problems of justice. This article draws from recent work on ‘aspect-seeing’ to shed light on how the HBA precludes us from meaningfully engaging in discourse about justice and thus prevents us from addressing the unjust treatment of laboratory animals. When engaging in aspect-seeing – like when confronted with Jastraw’s famous rabbit-duck picture – we can intentionally see different aspects of the same object. Reshef Agam-Segal (2014; 2015) noted that different aspects are embedded in different normative frameworks; these, in turn, allow for different discourses and actions. Conversely, if one engages in an HBA, one relies on a particular set of conceptualisations of the animal, e.g. as a ‘research tool’ or ‘utility receptacle’, which precludes us from meaningfully talking about matters of justice; we struggle to see the animal as something that could deserve justice. Hence, using only the HBA for evaluating animal research forecloses us to draw from meaningful sources of moral evaluation. Animal research shows how we can become captivated by a particular picture of morality, we become, so to speak, morally short-sighted. Captivated by a specific aspect, we lose access to the plurality of values at our disposal, thereby reassuring ourselves that every moral problem has been solved. Aspect-seeing, instead, allows us to grasp such variety by exploring different aspects of the animal and therefore it allows us to attain an adequate picture of what is morally at stake.

17th Congress of the European Society for Agriculture and Food Ethics, 2022

In applied ethics in general, and in applied animal ethics in particular, there is a prevalent pr... more In applied ethics in general, and in applied animal ethics in particular, there is a prevalent presumption that there are states of affairs which are morally wrong or right, independent of any person’s value judgment to that effect. At the same time, there is a general commitment within that discipline to a scientific naturalist worldview and the interdisciplinarity with the empirical sciences that this entails. These commitments to special, unconditional, moral normativity on the one hand, and to scientific naturalism on the other, stand in conflict with each other as soon as the question of the justification of normativity arises. We claim that many, and perhaps all, of the most popular responses to this tension, do not resolve it, but simply export it outside the area of discourse. Once examined, the tension always arises again. Using the debate around fish pain as an illustration, we will give three examples for particularly popular modes of response and demonstrate how they merely black-box the problem, rather than solve it. This indicates that the prospect of solving the tension is slim, and that a theory interested in upholding the unconditional normativity of morality should deal with their incompatibility with naturalism head-on, rather than obscure it.