Animal Rights Argumentative Essay

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In this essay I will outline and defend the argument for complete abolition of the use of animals in biomedical research. I will ultimately agree with Tom Regan’s claim that “the fundamental wrong is the system that allows us to view animals as our resources.” I will describe several important objections to Regan’s claim. However, I will show that none of these objections overcomes his central argument.
Regan states that the use of animals in research assumes that their value is reducible to their possible utility relative to the interests of others. This is a Kantian view of how we should treat animals in research. Regan states that it is wrong for us to use animals to be eaten, exploited for money or sport, or surgically manipulated. This …show more content…

Therefore that animals are not to be treated as a mere means to an end, or as renewable resources.
Regan uses the example in which, your neighbour kicks your dog; meaning then your neighbour has done wrong to you and not your dog. This is because your property has been damaged.
The use of animals in research continues to foster the belief that animals are tools and objects for us to use for our benefit, without thinking about the implications of this wrong attitude. Animals have inherent value. This refers to the value an animal possesses in its own right, as an end-in-itself. The inherent value of animals does not disappear because we have failed to find a way to avoid harming them in pursuit of our chosen goals. Their value is …show more content…

DeGrazia explains that biomedicine has a ‘party line’ where animal research is justified because of the benefits it reaps for medical progress and therefore human health. He continues to explain that the AMA (American Medical Association) promotes aggressive pro-research campaign, and encourages AMA members to do and say certain things for public relations purposes. The main points from DeGrazia’s 10 principles that I am wanting to focus on is that ’there are some morally significant differences between humans and there animals,’ and, that ‘some animal research is justified.’ To addressing DeGrazia’s point that there are morally significant difference between other animals and humans, means we should look towards speciesism. I believe it is wrong to put human needs above that of other animals. We see this behaviour in humans, where we put the needs of our family above other families, and the needs of men above women, the needs of our country above other countries. I believe that this behaviour promotes selfishness and brings about a wrong sense of superiority. Does it follow that because humans are morally superior that everything is at our disposal. This is central to Regan’s claim that animals are not our resources. Addressing the second point that some animal research is justified, DeGrazia describes three reasons as to why some might oppose all animal research,

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