The Banning Of Cosmetics Testing In New Zealand

Improved Essays
New Zealand has seen the ban of cosmetics testing on animals. Isaac Davidson, reporter for the New Zealand Herald released an article on 31st March 2015, explaining the government’s decision to ban the use of animals for cosmetic research. The topic of animal testing is taken very seriously around the world, with the public of Britain protesting for decades and addressing their government to take the necessary steps to ban it. An example of this is the Lush cosmetics campaign, which took place on the 24th April 2012. In the 1980’s American animal rights activist Henry Spira, bought a full-page in the New York Times with an outcry to help protect the animals used in cosmetics testing. These are just two of the many varying examples used in the …show more content…
At the fore front, Animal rights charity PETA (people for the ethical treatment of animals) lead the charge established in several countries and have a 3,158,585 following on Facebook. We can see by PETA 'S large support group, which shows the cruelty applied to animals in the testing process creates a large degree of unhappiness.
Countries that have banned cosmetic testing on animals are the European Union, Norway, Israel, India and New Zealand. Although the United States is considering an amendment of their Animal Rights bill to include a ban on cosmetic testing, they are still yet to implement this ban. A significant amount of the western world have deemed cosmetic testing on animals un-ethical. If the majority is unhappy with the state of affairs than by utilitarian standards, cosmetic testing on animals is unethical.
Kantian ethics was founded by German philosopher Immanuel Kant in the 18th century. Kant believed that human life was to be revered above all else. Rachels (2010) “on his view human beings have an “intrinsic worth” or “dignity.” (pp.
…show more content…
The final aspect of Kant’s theory is the respect for persons; people should not be treated as a tool to your own desires but treated with dignity.
Kant’s view on animals was sure and unwavering. Rachels (2010) quotes his lectures on ethics “But so far as animals are concern, we have no direct duties. Animals… are there merely as a means to an end. That end is man.” (pp. 136) Using Kant’s Categorical imperative we must observe if the ban of animal testing can be universalised. The outlawing of cosmetics testing by Kant’s standards would mean the ban of medical testing on animals as well. This would be a massive setback for medical research, and potentially mean that the discovery of certain breakthroughs would not be possible. I believe that this is something that cannot be universalized. If we analyse another aspect of Kant’s theory being the importance of motive, we will see that the motive for research on animals is indeed a good motive. To make sure the final product is usable by the consumer and does not cause medical harm. Animals are only valued as long as they serve human purposes. In relation to Isaac Davidson’s article in the New Zealand Herald, Kant would strongly disagree with Animal activist and Green party MP Mojo Mathers. Davidson. I (2015) "It 's fantastic that we will now be able to hold

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    A possible concern is that over 100 million animals- mice, rats, frogs, dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, guinea pigs, monkeys, fish, and birds- are used for research and experiments each year. These animals are forced to test poisoning for burning skin, toxicity testing, causing brain damage, and many other horrible tests. The innocent creatures are harmed and sometimes killed in the process. On the other hand, scientists are doing these many different types of tests to learn more about health problems that affect both humans and animals. Since animals are biologically related to humans, it makes them good research subjects.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For many years the testing of cosmetics on animals has been considered a major issue in the US and globally. Cosmetic testing is the most controversial area of animal testing. Each and every cosmetic product used by women is first tested on animals. Approximately, 20 million animals are used for all kinds of testing every year. Not only several leading cosmetics companies have already stopped testing products on animals, but also the European Union, Israel, and Norway have banned cosmetic testing on animals, making it illegal to do so within their borders.…

    • 618 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Amber Hufford Mr. Limone Composition 12/11/15 Albert Einstein once said: “Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.” Through this statement, Einstein shows how important all living creatures are. Human or not they deserve to have a life they enjoy. Testing on animals takes their joy away.…

    • 805 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal Research is, has always been, and will most likely continue to be a delicate subject. The use of animals in research ranges from cosmetics to medical and wherever there are animals being tests there are groups of people arguing the morality and ethics of the testing being done. Excluding cosmetics and the like for now (that’s a different argument), the use of animal research in neuroscience is absolutely necessary and though it is a sensitive issue, there are ways to make it more ethically acceptable and to protect the animals themselves from blatant cruelty. Today, animal research is more humane than it has ever been.…

    • 1266 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Animal testing has been used for centuries to provide trial runs for medication and procedures. Cosmetic companies have also started to use animals to test their products. This has brought a lot of backlash onto the topic animal testing. However, what they seem to forget is the fact that animal testing in the advancement in human health. Therefore, animal testing should be continued.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Medical testing on animals help us gain more knowledge about different chemicals and medicines, but can be harmful to the animals, making it inhumane. On the other side, our knowledge…

    • 1560 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    ANIMAL TESTING Animal rights are defined as the rights to animals so they can to live freely, with no hunting, without being harmed, free from medical research, cosmetics, and experimental testing. No animal should be held captive to be harmed or tested upon. In order to save human lives, as in animals are hurt in medical testing. According to the Humane Society of the United States, 79.7 million people have pets in their homes just in the United States (The Humane Society of the United States). Everyone should have a companion animal, but scientists should not do any form of testing so these companion creatures can be what they were meant u to be; a member of a family and not a member of a research lab and do not let these animals soon become like the dinosaurs.…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    It is unacceptable behaviour from people in our modern world today. Even though some animals are needed for medical research for the tests that give us reliable results, cosmetic research is not necessary. By not in this day and age we should know what chemicals people can work with and what chemicals we cannot. We have enough cosmetic products and brands, it is not necessary for cosmetic researchers to go on and test on animals. Animals should have similar rights as people, and we need to learn to share our planet with them.…

    • 1281 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This quote explains animal testing perfectly; “Many cosmetic companies test their new products and ingredients by forcing rabbits, hamsters, and mice, among others, to endure horrific practices such as breathing in poisonous fumes or having lethal chemicals poured into their eyes and rubbed into their skin”(Natasha Cole, Cruelty Free Cosmetics). Many supporters of animal testing will argue that it can have positive outcomes, however, humanity uses it in vain ways. This makes it especially wrong because humans are treating animals cruelly and inhumanely mostly to look attractive. Continuing on about cosmetic testing on animals: “Animal testing for cosmetics is an outdated practice and does not provide the most reliable results regarding the safety, performance, or possible reactions that cosmetic products or ingredients could have in a person” (Natasha Cole, Cruelty Free Cosmetics). The reason to continue these means of testing on animals proves to be no longer relevant because easier and more reliable ways of testing do indeed exist.…

    • 961 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Controversy With Animal Testing Animal testing is more of a problem than some believe. Some people believe it is okay to use animals as their test subjects, while others have been trying to convince people that there are alternatives to using animals that will work just as well. “It’s not testing cosmetics. It’s trying to save my life” (Kopp and Camosy 48) said Eileen Youtie who is fighting cancer. Eileen is paying over $30,000 so tests can be done on an animal before the doctors use the drugs on her (48).…

    • 1019 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    The lab testing on animals is better than if people tested on other people. If we didn’t have the ability to test cosmetics on animals before selling it to people using the product, people would get hurt because nobody would know if these products are unsafe. Testing these products on animals is better than if we tested these products on humans. When an animal gets injured or even killed, it would be less dismal than if a human was killed or badly injured. A human’s life is generally considered more valuable than an animal’s life.…

    • 466 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Great Essays

    People fight and cry for their freedom, while others have turned their heads and chosen to ignore their plight. Some others have taken even further steps in the wrong direction, choosing to believe that each type of animal testing is terrible and trying to condemn medical research as well, endangering countless lives in doing so. Cosmetic testing needs to be stopped, to save not only the animals who suffer through it, but to save the souls of people as well. Animals can save humans as much as we can save them in a way, but to avoid continuing to be the cruelest species, the cruelty inflicted on animals for vanity must be stopped, for the sake of…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal testing for the sole purpose of cosmetics is an unnecessary worldwide problem which fundamentally tortures animals in order to achieve a goal which could be obtained through more humane circumstances. Morality is a distinct role the conscious mind plays on one in order to determine right or wrong. Yet, when it comes to the difficult matters like as to whether animals have fundamental rights, it seems one’s morality standards…

    • 1600 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Is Animal Testing Wrong? In the current discussions of animal testing, an important argument has been whether or not animal testing is wrong, considering that animals have feelings. One viewpoint is that using animals for testing is completely okay and important in human survival. From this idea, many people such as Heloisa Sabin believe that “without animal research, polio would still be claiming thousands of lives each year” (158).…

    • 1364 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Animal testing has been around for several centuries and has always caused debates on if it should be kept or not this essay aims to persuade you that animal testing should be banned completely everywhere that hasn 't banned it already by banning cosmetic and medical animal testing altogether The biggest producers have banned animal testing completely setting an example and being a good role model for some companies and countries although some countries have banned animal testing they have not completely banned it they will either allow cosmetic testing or medical testing to continue the same with companies they always state that they don 't test on animals but if you keep looking you will find that they will test on…

    • 1172 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays