In all matters, including medicine, the well-being of the human race comes before any other consideration. This is the justification for the use of nonhuman animal testing in medicine. Of course this argument brings issues into play that are both ethical and professional and need exploring before a definitive answer can be given.
The Rights of “Lesser Life Forms”
Animals have rights. This is a statement that very few people will disagree with. Animal cruelty as an end unto itself (i.e. for entertainment) is just wrong. Short of being a sociopath I really can’t imagine anyone saying or thinking otherwise. The real ethical question comes when humanity can benefit from a “cruelty” committed against an animal.
As far as life on this planet goes, we appear to be at the pinnacle of creation. Though we have only been here for less than the blinking of an eye, as far as our small planet is concerned, we have achieved heights unparalleled by any species to grace the world before us. Because of this we have looked at the rest of existence as lesser than us and therefore present for our use.
A Respect for All Life
This view of superiority has begun to diminish only very lately. The first reason for this elevated respect for nonhuman animals comes from the same source as our concern for our fellow human beings: compassion. As a species humans have, for whatever reason, developed the ability to conceptualize ourselves in the place of other things we observe. While this ability is strongest when dealing with other humans, it is even possible to do this with humans. This is of course followed by hard reasoning as to why nonhuman animals do have rights.
Peter Singer, a professor in bioethics, is believed by some to have beg...
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...ights movement; http://www.animalrights.net/
Research Defense Society; an organization supporting animal testing; http://www.rds-online.org.uk/home.html
Seriously Ill for Medical Research; an organization supporting animal testing ( he has even posted his hate mail); http://www.simr.org.uk/pages/simr/index.html
Federal Food and Drug Administration; The US’s legal authority on animal testing; http://www.fda.gov
Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine; an organization against animal testing; http://www.pcrm.org/issues/Animal_Experimentation_Issues/animal_issues.html
People for Ethical Treatment of Animals; Animals’ rights group; http://www.peta.com
Seriously Ill Against Vivisection; an organization against animal testing; http://www.siav.com
Peter Singer Links; A site dedicated to Peter Singer and his works; http://www.petersingerlinks.com/
The misrepresentation of Pit Bull breeds in the media has been reflected in American culture. As these dogs were incorporated into World War I propaganda, they were perceived as symbols of courage and strength, the archetype of American dog breeds5. When, in the 1920s and 1930s, American Staffordshire Terrier “Pete the Pup” starred in the comedy Our Gang, later known as The Little Rascals, Pit Bulls were considered “nanny dogs” and family-friendly pets7. When the media focused heavily on illegal dog fighting rings and gang culture in the 1970s and 1980s, Pit Bulls were called demonic and unpredictable. Through their many roles, they have shown versatility and resilience, and lately they have suffered greatly.
In 18 August, 2011, the source of this event is from Herald Sun. A four-year-old lovely child named Ayen Chol was mauled and killed by a pit bull cross while she was playing in her home. The vicious pit bull escaped from a neighbour’s yard and mauled Ayen in a sudden attack. The dog rushed inside the house and set upon Ayen and some other children who were watching television. Ayen’s mom tried to beat the dog away from the children with a table, but she failed. Then the dog turned on Ayen and the vicious injuries caused Ayen’s death. Dr Cam Day, who is the RSPCA’s Queensland pit bull expert, has claimed that American pit bull terriers are ‘head, shoulder, feet and everything else above other breeds’ in terms of their capacity to injure and maim. If the government doesn’t ban pit bulls, these tragedies would continue to happen and children’s lives would be threatened all the
“Pit Bull Bias in the Media.” ASPCA. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, 2012. Web.
Have you ever seen a stray animal on the side of the road and thought nothing of it? It is actions like that and others that continue to make this planet a cruel place for domestic animals to live. Many domestic animals are not created to destroy or harm anyone or anything. They are meant to be surrounded by loving caring humans who want to have a mutually beneficial relationship better them. Sadly, these animals are taken into shelters or pounds and if not claimed or adopted they are euthanized or become test subjects. According to PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, “each year, more than 100 million animals are killed in U.S. laboratories for biology lessons, medical training, curiosity-driven experimentation, and chemical,
Smith, C. (2009, April 9). Media coverage of Surrey pit bull attack prompts protest by Vancouver pit bull owners. Retrieved April 20, 2011, from Straight.com: http://www.straight.com/article- 213929/media-coverage-surrey-pit-bull-attack-prompts-protest-vancouver-pit-bull-owners
The Gifted program exists to provide more academic opportunities for those who qualify as “gifted.” “’Gifted means performing or demonstrating the potential for performing at significantly higher levels of accomplishment in one or more academic fields due to intellectual ability, when compared to others of similar age, experience, and environment’” (Quoted in “Gifted”). In order to make it into the program the student must show higher intellectual ability than the average student at his or her age, but what determines that factor? The student must take a multidimensional test and score in the 98th percentile. However, the most weighted part of the test remains an average IQ test. Intelligence test scores should not be the primary qualification for admittance into the gifted program. They should not remain the primary qualification because it allows the minorities and the economically disadvantaged to be underrepresented, it proves insufficient when compared to other means of testing, and it fails to accurately reflect a student’s intelligence.
over 1,800 cases of animal cruelty in the past year because of the lack of animals having rights revealed in the media, with 64.5% involving dogs, 18% involving cats and the other 25% involving other animals. They should have rights because they have feelings, they are valuable, and they mean a lot to some families to the point where they’re considered to be a part of the family. Most importantly, humans are also animals, So think about how you would feel if someone had full control over you or someone you loved and did things to you that you didn’t enjoy or like. You have to think about their world from their standpoint. Yes, they are animals but they should not be less valued just because they are different from humans.
Animals have always held a very special place in the hearts of the human race. They are our best friends, our stress relievers, members of our families, and our test subjects for experimentation. For hundreds of years, animals have been used in laboratory settings as a replacement for humans when studying the effects of medical treatments. On average, nearly one hundred million animals are used in clinical trials every year (Ferdowsian). These animals have contributed to hundreds of breakthroughs in the medical field including countless toxicity tests to determine drug toxicity to humans, and exposure to paralyzing anesthetics to create anesthesia used in surgical procedures today. These animals have been vital
The media has been accused of covering more stories of pit bull attacks and covering less of other dog breed attacks. This accusation may be true according to what John Davidson of The Denver Post said which was that pit bull attacks seemed to garner more media attention than attacks by other kinds of dogs (Gomez). Media outlets shouldn’t sensationalize pit bulls in their news reports. It gives people false ideas of pit bulls and in turn hurts the breed. According to a compilation of news reports, pits were responsible for 52 of the 88 U.S. deaths from dog attacks from 2006 to 2008. Yet in controlled studies, pits have never been identified as "disproportionately dangerous,”(Tullius 54). Because of the media’s image of pit bulls shown in the news, many people are afraid of
In my opinion, I think that if there is an alternative way in getting the same test results, then animal testing should be avoided. If the use of animals is required in order to obtain more knowledge of medicine then I believe that the welfare of the animals should be a priority of the researchers and if the well-being of the subjects is compromised then measures should be taken to correct these mistakes. I am not an advocate of abusing animals in order to advance research, but I do believe that the use of animals in research studies is extremely beneficial. Without the use of animal testing researchers would not have as many answers and solutions to problems that we have, such as sickness.
Throughout history, animal testing has played an important role in leading to new discoveries and human benefit. However, what many people forget are the great numbers of animals that have suffered serious harm during the process of animal testing. Animal testing is the use of animals in biological, medical, and psychological studies. The development and enhancement of medical research has been based on the testing of animals. There are many questions being asked if animal research is good or not or if the benefit for us is way greater the abuse of animals. Doing tests on animals can help find ways to cure diseases, but testing on them is wrong. Although we want to find cures for diseases to help many people, testing on animals not only brutally hurts them but it also denies the animals the rights they have.
Animal testing has brought some very important medical techniques and products within our grasps. However, there are many pros and cons, and the subject will continue to be a sensitive one. We as humans have a responsibility to respect and protect the animals as well as each other. Think of your family pet. Animals do have personalities and feelings. Think of your loved ones. Humans need medical care to survive. This is a hard issue to make decisions about. Human health is important, but we must strive to establish ways of improving human health without involving helpless animals.
Learned from the book- Animal testing is the use of animals for experimentation. There is a very controversial debate about animal testing because of ethical issues. Animal testing is considered invasive research because the researchers who test on them are causing physical harm to the animals. One of the cruel procedures they perform on these animals involves producing lesions in the brain. These lesions are created by surgery and are put there to observe the effects on animal behavior. The goal of this research is to understand how the brain effects the animal’s behavior and if this research can be applied to humans. This way no humans are hurt, only animals. Since animals cannot speak for themselves animal rights activists speak for
One of the most controversial things about gifted and talented education is the criterion educators use to identify the gifted and talented. In the past, a student’s intelligence, based on an I.Q. score, was considered the best way to determine whether or not they qualified as gifted. As a result of using this method of identification, many gifted and talented students are not discovered nor are they placed in the appropriate programs to develop their abilities. Talents in the arts or an excellent ability to write are not measured on an I.Q. test but are abilities that may certainly qualify a student as gifted or talented.
It can be said that animal rights is somewhat Aristotelian in inspiration, where an animal has a telos, an end or purpose that the animal must carry out. The animal may have a number of desires and needs that could lead to the realization of its telos requirements. It would not be in mankind’s best interest to derail another being’s telos, as this leads to an extreme moral dilemma. The fact that animals are alive, can feel pain, and have their own interests should give animals a protected right to life. If a human should choose to take such life, they should be able to prove that their right to live is morally superior to that of any animal whose life they decide to take.