ABSTRACT
The British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection (BUAV) has been critical of the 1986 Act from its inception.71 They are suspicious of the scientific community which is given the power to implement the pain versus benefits requirements – it is they who are required to assess the likely pain to be endured and to rank it according to the Act, so that the Home Secretary can decide whether or not to grant a licence. The lack of independent scrutiny in the absence of ethics committees adds to their suspicions. BUAV, in common
with the Working Party of the Institute of Medical Ethics, questions why there have been so few prosecutions under the Act, suggesting this is not evidence of compliance, but rather of a lack of willingness to prosecute.72
