Animal Experimentation and Research

Animal Experimentation and Research

In the basement of the psychology department here, a poster hangs on the wall; on it is a picture of two white lab rats and a caption that reads, ?They?ve saved more lives than 911.? This poster hangs on the wall of the room where I performed brain surgery on a rat. Many people would be morally opposed to this and any other form of animal research and experimentation and feel that it should be banned. This heated debate has been going on for centuries with each side possessing strong arguments. A central argument to this debate is whether or not animals are moral patients, with feelings anId the ability to suffer, and if we as humans are entitled to use them as means. Many people feel that we have made great medical advancements that would not have been possible without the use of animals. Alternatively, some feel that despite the medical advancements made, the use of animals remains an unethical practice. I feel that animal experimentation has the capacity to be very beneficial to medical research. However, scientists should try to prevent as much suffering as possible. Likewise, it would be a good idea to prohibit unnecessary testing and experimentation, especially with the recent development of many alternatives.

Despite mounting controversy, many people still find animal experimentation to be a moral and correct practice. A widely accepted thought of some philosophers is that animals are not morally equal to us; therefore, we do not have to treat them as such (Fox, 3). Furthermore, according to Michael Allen Fox, author of The Case for Animal Experimentation, ?animals fail to meet the conditions specified for full membership in the moral community and likewise fail to...

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...on, this issue will be able to be solved and a general understanding and agreement can arise.

Works Cited

� Birke, Lynda and Michael, Mike. ?Ethics and Animal Rights Extend Beyond UK Law.? Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy Spring: 35-38

� Fox, Michael Allen. The Case for Animal Experimentation. Berkley: University of California Press, 1986.

� Langley, Gill, ed.. Animal Experimentation The Consensus Changes. New York: Chapman and Hall, 1989.

� Mench, Joy. ?Animal Research Arouses Passion, Sparks.? Forum for Applied Research and Public Policy Spring 1996: 5-15.

� Rachels, James. The Elements of Moral Philosophy. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003.

� ?Rights from Wrongs.? The Environmental Magazine. March/April. 2008: 26-33.

� Singer, Peter. Practical Ethics. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.