Bioethics between pain and animal welfare

A proper bioethical approach to the welfare issue can not leave out of consideration the thorny question of animal pain. Several bioethical problems are involved in this question: first of all, why does animal pain today worry us? With respect to an even recent past in which the Cartesian-resembling idea of the automata animal, unable to experience any kind of feelings, has persisted, the increasing idea of a sentient animal, upon which pain weighs in its welfare evaluation process, is spreading. Thus, new issues are produced: to what extent – qualitatively and quantitatively – is an animal able to feel pain? What is the nature of its experiencing? What’s the connection between pain and suffering? As we obtain through these enquiries, pain, often considered a sort of biological enigma, complexly relates to the theme of animal consciousness. A sharp and intricate debate is presently investigating the animal consciousness issue, giving rise to contrasting assessments about the degree of pain and suffering awareness an animal can show. Yet, from a bioethical point of view, the pain issue must be primarily considered in connection to the notion of cruelty. Hence how we treat an animal becomes not only a question of private evaluation, but rather a question of social consensus ethics, which requires considering not only the economic, but also the ethical costs of pain and suffering.