Brazilian law for scientific use of animals

Ruy Garcia Marques,Marcelo Marcos Morales,Andy Petroianu

doi:10.1590/s0102-86502009000100015

Ruy Garcia Marques, Marcelo Marcos Morales + Show 1 more

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https://doi.org/10.1590/s0102-86502009000100015

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Abstract

The Brazilian scientific community claimed for a definitive systematization and for comprehensive and realistic national rules, to provide guidance and regulation, instead of sanctions, so that the question of scientific research involving animals could be better contemplated. This is beginning to occur now with Law no. 11.794, sanctioned by the President of the Republic on November 8, 2008. To describe the evolution of Brazilian regimentation for scientific use of animals and to analyze Law no. 11.794. The legislation about the use of animals in teaching and in scientific research in Brazil and in Rio de Janeiro State was identified and discussed. Until now, there was no updated general and systematizing rule regarding animal vivisection and experimentation for didactic or scientific purposes. The only specific law dates back to 1979 and was not regimented. More recent laws equated the practice of scientific experiments to acts of abuse and mistreatment of animals, when alternative technology was available. Municipal laws that restricted the scientific practice of vivisection and experimentation with animals were created in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Florianopolis. With the claim and collaboration of the scientific community, the sanction of Law no. 11.794 regarding the scientific use of animals represented an invaluable advance in spite of the presence of some points that eventually may require another type of treatment. The new Law states that it will be regimented within 180 (one-hundred-and-eighty) days, when some of these points could be better elucidated.

Highlights

On November 8, 2008, the President of the Republic sanctioned Law n.o 11.794,1 which concerns the rearing and use of animals in teaching and research activities in Brazil.It was surprising that a nation which is training 10 thousand doctors a year, which has reached 15th position in the international ranking of scientific publications and which, especially in recent years, has substantially increased the financial resources destined to the support of scientific and technological research, was still devoid of federal legislation regulating research activities involving laboratory animals, indispensable for technological development and for innovation in the Country.The Project of this law was approved by Congress on May 20, 2008, after an intensive awareness-raising effort of the scientific community
It is important to point out that, due to the gap existing in the federal legislation, research institutes and universities in important Brazilian cities such as Rio de Janeiro and Florianópolis remained submitted to Law Projects proposed by members of parliament of Municipal Chambers that aimed at the prohibition of scientific research with laboratory animals
The law is available in full at http://planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_Ato2007-2010/2008/Lei/L11794.htm, and is known as Arouca Law, which regulates the scientific use of animals in Brazil.[1]

Summary

Introduction

On November 8, 2008, the President of the Republic sanctioned Law n.o 11.794,1 which concerns the rearing and use of animals in teaching and research activities in Brazil.It was surprising that a nation which is training 10 thousand doctors a year, which has reached 15th position in the international ranking of scientific publications and which, especially in recent years, has substantially increased the financial resources destined to the support of scientific and technological research, was still devoid of federal legislation regulating research activities involving laboratory animals, indispensable for technological development and for innovation in the Country.The Project of this law was approved by Congress on May 20, 2008, after an intensive awareness-raising effort of the scientific community. 225 of the Federal Constitution,[3] establishing procedures for the scientific use of animals and proposing the abrogation of Law n.o 6.638/1979.2 This Law Project represented a crucial and decisive point for the approval of Law n.o 11.794/2008,1 recently sanctioned by the President of the Republic of Brazil.

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