Essay on Animal Rights - 442 Words

Animal Rights The 20th century has had more medical breakthroughs than any other hundred years in history. But there is a price. No significant discovery in this time has occurred without the use of animals in biological research experiments. Heart surgery, polio, osteoporosis, diabetes, AIDS, and cancer have all had significant breakthroughs thanks to these experiments(McCarty 15). The use of animals in today’s world is highly controversial. Our society eats animals and their products, wears them, uses them for entertainment, and kills some species, such as rats and mice for being a nuisance. In a society which uses animals in all these different ways, it is ethical to use animals in medical research. Many medical advances rely†¦show more content†¦Even though the direct cost of the animals is small, around 20% of all projects will involve an element of animal studies in amongst the other research techniques. When animals are used in research there are strict regulations to ensure a minimum of pain and suffering for the subjects(UNMC). Ultimately our overall understanding of diseases rests heavily upon studies of living systems, including animals. In the fight to save human lives, animals are vital. The Hot Zone reveals that animal research inadvertently led to an outbreak of Ebola near Washington DC. But this is a unique case where research has harmed humankind. The U.S. has recognized the importance of animal research and were it not for the Animals (Scientific) Research Act of 1986 most scientists would have been charged with cruelty to animals by now. Because of these laws new drugs are tested on approximately 1,000 animals before they can be released on the market(McCarty 81). This law would not exist if government officials thought these experiments would harm their citizens. In fact due to animal research the human life-span has been increased by an average of 28 years(McCarty 15). Though animal research has benefited millions of people world-wide it has its detractors. Hollywood celebrities are using their free time to pose naked for billboards. To protest the use of animals in their make up and garment’sShow MoreRelatedAnimal Rights And Human Rights923 Words   |  4 Pages Animal Rights â€Å"Nearly as many, 68 percent, were concerned or very concerned about the well-being of animals used in ‘sports’ or contests as well as animals in laboratories (67 percent) (Kretzer, 1).† Many people question whether an animal is capable of thought and emotions. Others feel as though animals are the equivalent of humans and should be treated as such. Since the 1800’s, animal rights has been a topic that has several different sides including two extremes. If animals can react to theirRead MoreThe Debate On Animal Rights910 Words   |  4 PagesThere are two major schools of thought on animal protection. First, is the tenet that animals should have rights and the second, more radical view, is that animals should be liberated. Many of the rights that are promoted for animals are similar to the rights of human democratic societies. The basic rights, which are recommended by a number of advocates, are that animals should be free from suffering, be in posses sion of their own life, and their basic interests should be given the same considerationRead MoreAnimal Rights Essay886 Words   |  4 PagesAnimal rights - moral or legal entitlements attributed to nonhuman animals, usually because of the complexity of their cognitive, emotional, and social lives or their capacity to experience physical or emotional pain or pleasure. (Britannia encyclopedia online, n.d.). The definition of animal rights is so clear to us. Human rights need to be protected, so do animal rights. In 1976, in New York City, thousands of cat lovers were beaten when they heard a painful test to be taken for pets’ sexualRead MoreEssay on ANIMAL RIGHTS790 Words   |  4 PagesAnimals have their own rights as do to humans and we should respect that and give them the same respect we give each other. Animals deserve to be given those same basic rights as humans. All humans are considered equal and ethical principles and legal statutes should protect the rights of ani mals to live according to their own nature and remain free from exploitation. This paper is going to argue that animals deserve to have the same rights as humans and therefore, we don’t have the right to killRead MoreAnimal Rights Philosophy768 Words   |  4 Pagesissue of animal rights, Carl Cohen takes on the perspective of a reformist. This means that he accepts animal experimentation and meat eating, but believes that these institutions need to be improved upon. Cohen approaches the issue of animal rights using the ideas of obligations and rights, with not only the reformist perspective, but with the speciesist perspective. The conclusion he draws is that animals do not necessarily have rights just because humans have moral obligations to animals. CohenRead MoreThe Argument Of Animal Rights2068 Words   |  9 PagesSeems rhetorical, but the fact is animals live through this everyday, without even given the choice. As humans, we establish our authority among all living beings, but for what reasons? Are humans better than all other species? Or is it true that we should hold a precedence over nonhuman animals? The ultimate question then remains, should animals have as much or equal to the same rights as humans? Their are endless arguments for and against this question, and many sub arguments that go hand in handRead MoreAnimal Rights And The Rights Of Animals1843 Words   |  8 Pagesthe rights of animals and if they think and feel like humans do. Many people see animals as mindless creatures or as food, while others think they have emotions and can feel pain. In other countries animal protection laws are in place that are strictly enforced and seem to work well with the system. In the United States however; some of the anima l rights laws are considered to be useless and under-enforced (Animal Legal Historical Center). More people today are beginning to see that animals shouldRead MoreThe Issue Of Animal Rights Essay2300 Words   |  10 PagesAnimals have the right to equal consideration in regards to their being used for human needs as most people use animals for their own needs on a daily basis even if only indirectly whether to entertain us, or to attain the product we are using, or on our dinner plate. The controversy of the treatment of animals range from some activists and philosophers that are outspoken against animals being used by humans in any way for our own personal needs, while others are candid in their belief that animalsRead More Animal Rights Essay2330 Words   |  10 PagesAnimals and man have shared this planet since humans first appeared on earth. Animals have provided transportation, food, clothing, shelter, companionship and entertainment throughout the ages. Therefore, it is our duty to treat animals with respect, care and kindness and not cause them undue suffering, because they have, in many ways, made it possible for man to survive on earth. However, because normal adult humans have superior mental abilities in the hierarchical scale in nature, animals haveRead MoreArgumentary On Animals And Animal Rights1523 Words   |  7 Pagesclass was crazy! There was so much information regarding animal rights†¦ Sasha: I know. But I don’t know if any of that changed my views. I still think becoming a vegetarian is the way to go. Devon: You think? I still think that it is okay to eat meat. The animals just need to be raised in a humane manner. Sasha: Eh†¦I don’t know. Animals should just be left alone and be free to roam around in the wild. They should not be tortured like those animals that I saw while visiting that â€Å"kill floor†. Devon: