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Updated: Aug 26, 2025

Manual Restraint and Common Compound Administration Routes in Mice and Rats
Published on: September 26, 2012
The Conditions for Ethical Chemical Restraints
Parker Crutchfield1, Michael Redinger1
1Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine.
Abstract:
The practice of medicine frequently involves the unconsented restriction of liberty. The reasons for unilateral liberty restrictions are typically that being confined, strapped down, or sedated are necessary to prevent the person from harming themselves or others. In this paper, we target the ethics of chemical restraints, which are medications that are used to intentionally restrict the mental states associated with the unwanted behaviors, and are typically not specifically indicated for the condition for which the patient is being treated. Specifically, we aim to identify the conditions under which chemical restraints are ethically permissible. It is wrong to assume that what is morally true of physical restraints is also true of chemical restraints. Our aim is thus to identify the conditions under which chemical restraints are permissible while distinguishing these conditions from those of the application of physical restraints.
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