Animal Rights: Equal To Human Rights?
When we think of medical research, the first thing that comes to mind is not usually about the animals that are being tested on and if they are being harmed. Most people look at medical research as a godsend when it comes to diseases and keeping the public healthy in general. Although it seems that animal research is being done for the greater good, it is still a widely debated topic in the United States today. Should animals should be used for research purposes? Do animals deserve the rights given to humans? There are a variety of responses to this question, but it all depends on the mindset and morals of the person you are speaking to. The writings of Bernard, Singer, and Regan give us an idea of how …show more content…
In fact, the practice of using animals for research only expanded from there into the nineteenth century. It became so common that in 1970 almost six million animals were reportedly used for research. Today, animals such as rats, mice, and birds that are bred for research purposes make up ninety to ninety-five percent of the animals in research labs--although, these are not the only animals that are tested on. Chimpanzees, dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish are also on the list of animals that have been used as research material. The Animal Welfare Act sounds reassuring, but in reality it is not all that helpful. It only provides minimal protection to certain animals, and even then, the regulations cannot be enforced sufficiently because of the large number of research facilities. Bernard talks about how he believes that medicine is always going to be an experimental science that progresses as time goes on. I believe that if researchers stopped testing on animals, they would just find a way around regulations to still be able to do so or just continue the practice in private because medicine is constantly evolving and they need to make sure something is safe before marketing it to the public. Looking at it from this aspect, I fully agree with animal testing because I cannot imagine medical researchers distributing products that have an unknown cause and effect to the
When we think of medical research, the first thing that comes to mind is not usually about the animals that are being tested on and if they are being harmed. Most people look at medical research as a godsend when it comes to diseases and keeping the public healthy in general. Although it seems that animal research is being done for the greater good, it is still a widely debated topic in the United States today. Should animals should be used for research purposes? Do animals deserve the rights given to humans? There are a variety of responses to this question, but it all depends on the mindset and morals of the person you are speaking to. The writings of Bernard, Singer, and Regan give us an idea of how …show more content…
In fact, the practice of using animals for research only expanded from there into the nineteenth century. It became so common that in 1970 almost six million animals were reportedly used for research. Today, animals such as rats, mice, and birds that are bred for research purposes make up ninety to ninety-five percent of the animals in research labs--although, these are not the only animals that are tested on. Chimpanzees, dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish are also on the list of animals that have been used as research material. The Animal Welfare Act sounds reassuring, but in reality it is not all that helpful. It only provides minimal protection to certain animals, and even then, the regulations cannot be enforced sufficiently because of the large number of research facilities. Bernard talks about how he believes that medicine is always going to be an experimental science that progresses as time goes on. I believe that if researchers stopped testing on animals, they would just find a way around regulations to still be able to do so or just continue the practice in private because medicine is constantly evolving and they need to make sure something is safe before marketing it to the public. Looking at it from this aspect, I fully agree with animal testing because I cannot imagine medical researchers distributing products that have an unknown cause and effect to the