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Ethics of animal testing
Ethical dilemma of animal experiments
Ethical dilemma of animal experiments
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Over 61,000 dogs suffer in U.S laboratories every year. More than 21,000 cats are forced to endure painful experiments in U.S laboratories anually. Animals have been used repeatedly for scientific research throughout history. However, not all animal studies have been successful when humans were involved. Animal testing torments many innocent creatures for unreliable and costly research that is not necessary.
“A Question of Ethics” by Jane Goodall and “Animal Research Saves Lives” by Heloisa Sabin presents two sides of the same coin in regards to Animal testing. Thereby, questioning the validity or necessity of animal research and testing today. In “A Question of Ethics” by Goodall she presents a scenery of the living conditions of the animals which are often isolated; posing the ultimate questions of, whether animal research is essential to medical research? Or How many tests are performed only to conform to laws and not out of scientific merit? The Suggestion was made that scientists should explore alternative options, such as testing on cell and tissue cultures.
Modern-Day Animal Experimentation: A Necessity, or a Brutality? Animal experimentation is the act of testing products with non-human animal subjects intended for human use such as shampoo, deodorant, or cigarettes, before the product is mass produced and shipped out for human consumption. Research such as this will usually take place in pharmaceutical companies, medical schools, or universities. Not only is experimentation on animals unethical, it is completely unnecessary and out-dated. The term “animal experimentation” is very broad, and can mean one of a few things; however, drug/cosmetics testing is by far the most dangerous and controversial of all the subjects put together.
Research has further assisted in the development of drugs such as insulin and penicillin. It was said in the beginning that animals would never feel pain while going through such experiments, but there have been many times where labs go against that assumption. In some labs, the aftermath of the experiments are so immoral, it’s impossible for one to think what that animal endured. As of today, labs across the world are trying to enforce the 3Rs, which are replacement, reduction, and refinement. The 3Rs is a campaign who hopes to replace animals with non-living models, reduce the number of animals begin used, and finally refine the practice of using animals according to Hajar.
The years of running are rewarded with a captive bolt to the brain” (Guillermo). In greyhound racing “dogs are treated as commodities by the industry and sources of revenue by trainers who discard the animals when they are no longer able to race and
Animal testing goes as far back to greek philosophers such as Aristotle (384 – 322 BC) and Erasistratus (304 – 258 BC). Whom once performed testing on animals to advance behavior of something or who aspired to alter brain activity. However there was scientists such as Galen (129 – 199 / 217 AD), who used animals in order to attempt to improve various human activity within the body. Specifically focusing on cures and treatment for those who don't have them. Later, Ibn Zuhr began to use animal testing to benefit humans in which he would perform surgeries on them to ensure that the procedures would not harm humans.
Standing Up for Those Who without a Voice Imagine feeling helpless and being exploited by other people, with no voice or control over oneself. Imagine having no rights or protection under the law. This is the life of most animals in animal testing. Animal testing is the use of live animals, excluding humans, in experiments for scientific research. These experiments generally cause the animals pain, distress, harm, and suffering.
Considering the external validity in terms of using rats and mice are harder to generalize to humans than say chimps I would say that it does make a difference. Ask most people and I think you would find that experimenting on rats as opposed to chimps is a long leap ethically. Although both are mammals I believe that the closer the animal’s mind comes to the human mind the more ethical concerns are raised, even though the closer correlation would make them more generalizable. I would have to say that I did not have any strong opinions on the ethical nature of animal research, so other than informative the statistic did not impact me one way or the other.
700,000 animals are captured and put into zoos each year. Just think about the number of lives we are ruining day by day. Firstly animals should be able to roam around freely, not be behind bars when their lives have just begun. Humans may see them as a treat, but they deserve the equality humans are been given. Imagine waking up to nothing but lifeless animals and cages till the eye can see.
Is animal experimentation ethical? Is there a point in time during the experimentation where the animal testing becomes extremely unethical? Animal experiments are widely used to develop new medicines and to test the safety of other products. "Experimenting with animals before testing on people is a crucial human rights protection required by the famous Nuremberg Code"(Smith). Many of these experiments cause pain to the animals involved or reduce their quality of life in other ways.
Eating Animals Foer (2009) focuses on eating animals because he feels that animal food is a problem in the world today. He supports his position with the data from the UN, WHO, CDC and other health organizations. For example, he states that animal food is the number one cause of global warming. Livestock business generates more greenhouse gases than all other forms of gases produce by the transport sector. Foer further explains that animal food is not only responsible for diseases such as bird’s flu and swine flu, but also hinders the effectiveness of antibiotics in the human body (2009).
Animal Rights “He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.” (Immanuel Kant). Animals play a necessary role in human life, whether you love them, hate them, try to save them or enjoy eating them. They provide us food, clothes materials, and we can use them for transportation.
Animal testing is defined as “the use of non-human animals in research and development projects, especially for purposes of determining the safety of substances such as foods or drugs” (Dictionary.com). This experimentation has been practiced since around 500 BCE, and has allowed the human race to discover many things that otherwise would have not been discovered (ProCon). The use of animal testing has increased, due to its many necessary benefits, such as: helping form vaccinations and uncovering new diseases in the specific species being tested on (AALAS). However, many animal activist groups such as, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), have spoken out against the issue. These groups claim animal testing to be “inhumane”
More than 100 million animals including cats and dogs, are poisoned, burned, crippled, and abused in U.S. labs each year. No matter how cruel, redundant, or painful an experiment may be, none of them are illegal. Even when valid alternatives to animals are available, the law does not require that they be used. Also, ninety two percent of experimental drugs that are safe on animals fail in human clinical trials because they either do not work or are dangerous. Even though it is cruel to the animals, not always effective, and there are existing alternatives, animal testing is still used around the world every day, but is animal testing necessary?
Do you believe that animals can think and have their own emotions just like human beings? It is believed that all animals resemble human in their biological constitution (Beck, 2013). Since a long time, ancient people had a strong connection with animals through using them in hunting, transportation, guard, and providing their food resources. These days, people are witnessing a scientific revolution in various discoveries. In other words, scientists try to study and discover every new and strange fact in our world such as the unbelievable truths about animals.