The Infringement of Animal Rights Essay

Is it ethical for animals to have the same rights as humans? During this paper I will present the views of both sides. I will try my best to give the reader a chance to come to there own unbiased conclusion. I will talk about the key areas of animal ethics. I will present the facts and reasoning behind the arguments over Animal cruelty, testing, hunting, and improper housing. My conclusion will hopefully bring us closer to answering many of the question surrounding “Animal Rights and Ethics”.

The mistreatment of animals is a serious problem within our society for a variety of reasons. While current laws and conditions are improving, there is still a

Throughout history, humans have utilized nonhuman animals for the benefit of mankind. This tendency increased as civilization developed, and presently, necessitated by staggering population growth and technological progress, human use of animals has skyrocketed. We eat them, we breed them, we use them as test subjects. Some people have begun to question the ethics of it all, sparking a debate on animal treatment and whether or not they have rights. In a paper on the subject, Carl Cohen lays out his definition of rights, explains their relationship with obligations, and uses these ideas to present the argument that manifests clearly in his piece’s title, “Why Animals Have No Rights”. THESIS

Today, the discussions about the protection of the animal’s rights have received the attention of many people, many countries in the world. A lot of actions have been made by animal right activists to influence the world. Alex Epstein and Yaron Book, both authors of the “The Evil of Animal ‘Right’,” argue animal right activists use too much violence on their action, which is considered going against the law. Then, the authors give a lot of evidence to prove testing animals are extinct, but using animals for testing gives us new vaccines which make our lives better. Without animals for testing, how can scientists find out the vaccine for diseases? Animal right groups are making many effects to Huntingdon Life Sciences.

Animal research been used to help to find cures for many diseases. Animals being used for testing was said to be a small sacrifice that could save everyone else in the world. Most of what we know about the brain and body is a direct result of animal testing. The fact that animals can be hurt from or die from the same disease as humans can, say that there needs to be treatment and medication for these types of diseases. Many people are believed to be ignorant or misunderstand the nature of the life’s that animals actually live, and are unable to understand the actual laboratory procedures and techniques. Activists feel that to this day, there should be no good reason why any living thing should be subjected to this cruel punishment and unwanted torture just for serving another being’s needs.

In one way or another, animals impact people’s lives. Animals are intertwined with people in a multitude of ways. From the food on the table, the work they provide, the products in stores, or as a companion animals are interwoven into the fabric of everyday life. That is why the subject of what rights animals possess is often discussed and widely disputed. The benefits animals bring along with a clear definition of just what rights animals are entitled to are the main issues of the argument. Along with that, the theories of virtue ethics, deontology, and utilitarianism all contribute a different viewpoint on how to approach the subject from an ethical standpoint.

For centuries humans have dedicated their time and research to animal experimentation. A large number of these animals are being utilized and taken from their homes involuntarily. They are abused, mishandled and harmed for our own benefit to create products such as cosmetic supplies, vaccines, and medication.

Have you ever wondered why animals are used in experimentation? Each year over 100 million are killed due to experiments for biology lessons, medical training, chemical, drug, food, cosmetic testing, and curiosity driven experimentation. The better question is why? Why use animal when there are many alternatives. Animals may not be able to speak up for themselves but humans have a voice for them. Many people have participated in protest, taken surveys, and created organizations to protect animals from the cruelty.

Mohandas K. Gandhi once said, “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”. What, then, does it say about the people of the United States, for allowing the deaths of millions of innocent animals for the benefit of research, that in most cases is not even useful? 100 million animals are killed each year due to animal testing or experimentation (PETA,1). In the past, it was acceptable to use animal testing for scientific research, but now that there are other viable alternatives to the testing of innocent animals, such as in-vitro, stem cell testing, non-incasing imaging techniques, and micro-dosing. Animal testing should only be used in cases where said drug or treatment will treat life-threatening diseases. Animal testing in this day and age is both unnecessary and cruel, as there are multiple alternatives and the most of the time is not useful in human research.

First, according to Humane Society International, animals used in experiments are commonly subjected to force feeding, forced inhalation, food and water deprivation, prolonged periods of physical restraint, the infliction of burns and others wounds to study the healing process, the infliction of pain to study its effects and remedies, and “killing by carbon dioxide asphyxiation, neck breaking decapitation, or other means.” In the first place, the people in the laboratories are forcing the animals to suffer, without knowing how the animals feel. Animals have feeling too, they just can’t show it to humanity, because they are unable to communicate with human and people. Secondly, The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported in 2010 that 97,123 animals suffered pain during experiments while being given no anesthesia for relief, including 1,365 primates, 5,996 rabbits, 33,562 guinea pigs, and 48,014 hamsters. Therefore, we cannot let the laboratories keep using animals to test their items and products, or else the animals will be in big danger. The amount of animals that suffered in pain in 2010 is unbelievable, we can’t let this keep going on or we’ll just lose our precious, fluffy bunnies and other poor animals to. Overall, after reading what is happening to the animals, this is cruel and not fair to the animals that are

Animal testing is when animals are used in different tests, experiments, and studies. These tests, experiments, and studies often result in the harm and/or death of the animals. People often say the animals are used in order to benefit humans, such as making sure that products are safe and helping make advancements in medicine. When people use everyday products, most never think about how the product was determined to be safe. The animal’s involuntary sacrifice is almost never even a thought in most people’s minds. These animals undergo cruel treatment, harmful experiments, and even death for the “benefit” of humans.

Seems 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 hand with each side. In this paper, I will discuss the definition of what animal rights entails and expand on the history that developed it’s meaning. Furthermore, I will thoroughly discuss, reason, and explain each opinion presented by our current society as well as the positions held by previous philosophers. Lastly, I will draw a conclusion to the opinions presented by discussing my personal position on the argument of animal rights.

backs and they were dragging their hind legs (Reed 38). While in the lab, the

For the past 20 years, there has a been an on going heated debate on whether experiments on animals for the benefit of medical and scientific research is ethical. Whether it is or isn't, most people believe that some form of cost-benefit test should be performed to determine if the action is right. The costs include: animal pain, distress and death where the benefits include the collection of new knowledge or the development of new medical therapies for humans. Looking into these different aspects of the experimentation, there is a large gap for argument between the different scientists' views. In the next few paragraphs, both sides of the argument will be expressed by the supporters.

Non-human animals are given rights only because of their interactions with human beings. Without involvement with humans, animals do not deserve rights. It is through this interaction with humans that animals are even given moral consideration. We do not give rights to a rock simply because it is a creation of Mother Nature, similarly non-human animals do not have rights unless it is in regards to humans. As pointed out by Jan Narveson "morality is a sort of agreement among rational, independent, self-interested persons who have something to gain from entering into such an agreement" (192). In order to have the ability to obtain rights one must be consciously able to enter into an agreement, non-human animals are