Arguments Against Animal Rights

Since the dawn of the nineteenth century, the animal rights movement has been highly active throughout the United States, and because of the uncompromising beliefs and extreme actions taken on both sides of this concept, the idea of animal rights has become a controversial issue. Advocates for this movement believe that animals have the same natural rights as humans do, and that they should not be used for testing in any field. However, opponents believe that animals do not have natural rights at all, and that animal testing is necessary for advancements in areas such as medicine. While using animals for nutritional purposes and advancements in areas such as medical research is becoming more common in today’s society, animal abuse, including the mistreatment of wild animals in captivity, farms, circuses, and laboratories, is also becoming a more rampant issue, and therefore should be eradicated so that animals still have rights and are treated more humanely when they are contributing to human benefit. …show more content…
Firstly, there are three basic rights activists believe should be given to all animals on Earth, and they are life, individual liberty, and the exemption from torture, meaning that animals should not be forced to suffer for no good reason. Animal rights focuses on giving animals specific rights, and is not to be confused with animal welfare, which focuses on the general treatment of animals. As Alex K. Rich and Geraldine Wagner have explained it in their article, “Animal Rights: An Overview,” “The concept of animal rights is based on the belief that non-human animals have interests and rights similar, and in some cases equal, to those of humans” (Rich and Wagner). This statement can cause issues with medical institutes and healthcare professionals because without animals, some medicines and cures for diseases would not have been made