animal rights Essay

When one things about rights, one usually thinks about the rights or privileges of man. Perhaps, after a little extra thought, one may wonder: What about the other living creatures that share the environment? What rights, if any should they have? In particular, there are animals which have been commonly used by man in various capacities, such as for food, clothing, pets, entertainment, companionship, beasts of burden, lately scientific and medical research. However, the question “Should animals have rights?” people contend that animals do or do not have rights based on several factors, including whether animals can learn, can use language, are conscious, are able to suffer, and are ethical beings. However, animals should have their rights, because they are a portion of the earth, just like human beings. Basically, when it comes to animals and their rights, there is a definite line between people needs and people taking advantage of those species that we consider inferior. Nussbaum (4), said, “Scientists use animals in medical research to study how the body works and how to diagnose, cure, and prevent disease“. Animals are used for research in a variety of settings, including tests to determine the safety of drugs, cosmetics and other substances. According to Simmons (4) 1,267,828 animals were used for medical purposes in 1998, which is more than a 50 percent decrease since 1970. Although this is a drastic drop in animals used there have been many medical advances; virtually every medical break through this century has come about as the result of research with animals. Each day many people are saved from medication that are a result of animal testing. For centuries scientists have used animals to study the causes of diseases; to test drugs, vaccines and surgical techniques; and to evaluate the safety of chemicals used in pesticides, cosmetics and other products. However, the controversy remains of how necessary it really is to continue the use of innocent animals for these tests. Should they develop another way of testing new medicine and products? What would the new test be and how accurate would the results be? Animal testing does not need to be the only way to solve medical problems. Sunstein (3) believes the testing of animals should be stopped. Indeed, it seems to be cruel and unfair. Millions of animals all over the world are tortured and tested upon everyday for the use of mankind. Medical research, food and even the makeup industry are all the causes of why these animals die each and every year. Animals have been burnt, crushed, sliced, electrocuted, tortured with drugs, poisoned with toxic chemicals, and tormented in psychological testing. While animal testing has been involved in nearly every major medical advancement over the past century. For example, in determining whether to shoot a bear that is pregnant or has young cubs in tow, a hunter can consider ethical reasons not to kill it, such as the bear’s responsibility to its cubs. Simmons (3), expressed, does it seem fair to kill a dog just to create a new longer lasting hair dye? Furthermore, over thirty thousand chemicals are tested on animals in a single laboratory. Consequently, these numbers become increasingly higher each day because of the extensive experiments that are added. It is not fair that innocent animals are tortured are the satisfaction of pleasing a shaving cream company. According to Bayvel (4), due to the harmful effects experimentation has on animals, the government must rethink their decision to continue keeping animal experimentation legal. Meanwhile, experimentation is said to be done in order to save human lives by using new drugs and medical procedures. There are alternatives to animal experimentation, the technology today allows scientists to be able to rid of experimentation and find a new way of testing. Innocent animals should not have to be harmed or killed. While many people believe that animals are crucial parts of these

Show More

Animal Rights

Animal Rights In Animal Testing

Humanizing Animal Rights