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Should ànimals be used in research
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A Discussion of Vivisection
Most people believe that vivisection is cruel, disgusting and
completely un-necessary. Vivisection is were humans experiment on
living animals, which is not needed. Fewer than 2% (1.16%) of human
illnesses are ever seen in animals. It is proven every 4seconds an
animal dies in a British laboratory. Do you really want this to happen
for no reason?
There is much discussion about whether should be band, but there are
never enough people against this or never enough time to sort this
out. I think that all people ought to be sorting this out for the
animals lives, I believe we can sort this out.
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Some people and the vivisectors believe vivisection is necessary,
because it helps and improve medication and other produces for humans.
Also it can save people from death or accidents.
They argue that testing on animals can help with the cure for cancer,
and other large diseases or problems in the world for humans.
They also make a point on the lives they have saved with animal
testing. Lives from cancer have been saved, accidents which could have
been fatal were avoided.
[IMAGE]
However there is a side which is against vivisection. Here are
the people who are against vivisection, with a few of their
points.
[IMAGE]
Animal experimentation is said to be necessary for the welfare
and health of humans. This is simply not true less than 2% (1.16%) of
human illnesses are ever seen in animals.
¨ When asked doctors agreed that animal experiments can be misleading
because of anatomical and physiological differences between animals
and humans.
¨ Rats are 37% effective in identifying what causes cancer in humans.
(Vivisectors don't have a clue and flipping a coin would be more
useful).
¨ According to animal tests lemon juice is a deadly poison but
arsenic, hemlock and botulin are safe.
¨ 95% of drugs passed by animal tests are immediately discarded as
useless or dangerous to humans
Imagine a puppy spending his entire life in a locked cage where he is deprived of food and water, and force-fed chemicals from time to time. This is the life of animals in a laboratory. Live-animal experimentation, also known as vivisection, is not only unethical, but also cruel and unnecessary. In the article “Vivisection is Right, but it is Nasty- and We must be Brave Enough to Admit This”, Michael Hanlon claims vivisection is a moral necessity that without the use of animals in the laboratory, humans would not have modern medicine like antibiotics, analgesic, and cancer drugs (1). For example, Hanlon believes sewing kittens’ eyelids together can aid researchers to study the effects of amblyopia in children (1). Conversely, the use of animals
During the Middle Ages, medicine was limited. This was critical because in 1348-1350 the Black Death killed millions, nearly one third of the population. Physicians had no idea what was causing diseases or how to stop them ("Medicine in the Middle"). The Catholic Church told its people the illness was punishment from God for their sins (Gates 9). Some of the only procedures doctors could perform was letting blood by using leeches, and mix ‘medicines’ using herbs, spices, and resins (Rooney 106-107). Other medicine was administered by drinks, ointments, poultices, baths, and purges (Rooney 120). One hundred years later, when Constantinople fell to the Turks in 1453, many scholars moved to Italy, where they freely exchanged ideas. With them the scholars brought their libraries of books, giving European scholars access to the Greek and Latin culture. As new ways of thinking spread from Italy across Europe, this time period became known as the Renaissance, which was an era of discovery. As explorers returned with new discoveries and information, Europeans expanded their knowledge about astronomy, botany, and geography. Scientists like Copernicus and Galileo studied the world using observation and experimentation. Thanks to Gutenberg’s printing press, this new information was available to anyone who could read. For this reason the ideal Renaissance man was expected to be a well-rounded scientist, artist, mathematician, and philosopher all in one. The way people thought about medicine changed during this era. These changes brought about unique surgical methods, instruments, medicines, and practices, with a a few notable people. The Renaissance era of discovery did much for the world of medicine.
In Robert S. Gottfried’s book titled “The Black Death”, he analyzes the 14th century outbreak from an epidemiological perspective. The book is written as a historical account of one of the greatest epidemics on record. Gottfried is a well renowned Professor of History as well as the Director of Medieval Studies at Rutgers University. Another one of his books titled, "Epidemic Disease in Fifteenth Century England” focuses on the additional outbreaks that occurred in Europe after the Black Death plague. The Black Death also called the Great Pestilence the was the second of three pandemic plagues known and is considered one of the most damaging pandemics in human history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 25-50% of the Europe's population in the years 1348 to 1350. The origins of the plague began with east-west trade. In 1347 the Black Death entered Constantinople and spread throughout Byzantium and the Eastern Mediterranean, it is theorized that foreign rats migrating with the eastern trade carried the disease called Y. pestis to the west, fleas that were feeding on those rats then transmitted the infection to livestock and humans. The epidemic spread at an alarming rate and had devastating effects once contracted, at its peak the plague is said to have taken up to 1000 lives a day.
In the late 1930’s while the United States was going through The Great Depression the Soviet Union was going through its own turbulent times. This would be known as the Moscow Show Trials, which took place under the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. The book Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler takes place during this time period. The main character Nicholas Rubashov has been imprisoned even though he always has been loyal to the goals of the party (Koestler). This showed a shift that was happening in the country and an attempt by Stalin to eliminate any possible opposition even if they were heroes in the revolution. In the text two different concepts come to light vivisection morality where the party comes before the individual and anti-vivisection morality where the individual is sacred. Rubashov in the beginning does not embrace individualism however throughout the novel he begins to adopt individualism that he refers to as grammatical fiction. Vivisection morality is never a justifiable political system. Suppressing the rights of human beings is not only inhumane but also counter productive in creating an effective and wealthy society.
Smallpox is a highly infectious and fatal disease caused by the Variola virus. It causes extremely painful pustules to sprout across the entire body. Spread from human to human, it has since been eradicated from the world through the efforts of the World Health Organization. However, there is a distinct possibility that it may be reintroduced through bioterrorism. Biological weapons may cause another pandemic to erupt across the world and kill millions of individuals. Through constant vigilance and careful planning, mankind can prevent this scenario.
Back in the ancient’s time during the pre-historic era as far as 1000 AD this disease was not very much known to people but have said to be found on an Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses V mummy who died in 1157BC (Henderson, Fenner, Arita, Ladnyi, 1988 p 209-210). There was evidence of pustule eruption and rash that have been seen on the mummy similar to the description of a variola virus. Part of the idea of where this disease came from is unknown and where the origin of this disease is very much not clear. This disease that is known to be contagious and deadly at times is called smallpox. The early civilization had believed smallpox was originated from Africa and soon had spread though out the world like China and India (Fenn, 2003).
Vivisections, medical research that harms the research subject without providing any benefits to them, is supported by philosophy professor R.G Frey on the basis that the using and killing of animals is morally permissible because humans' quality of life exceeds animals' quality of life. Frey does not disregard the fact that vivisections harm animals, he sees no difference in the pain felt by humans and animals; nonetheless, Frey does not believe that all members of the moral community have lives of equal value. He believes that sacrificing the lives of those with less value is better than sacrificing the lives of those with higher values. Therefore, Frey defends the act of vivisections on the basis that humans' lives are of greater moral value
A. After all, the question whether animals should be tested is often hotly debated. B. Through intense research I have discovered that the issue on whether animals should be experimented upon, or “vivisection”, has cropped up in history as early as the 17th century. III.
Tucker, Jonathan B.. Scourge: The Once and Future Threat of Smallpox. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2001
As in any debate though there is always an opposing side, which seems to toss out their opinions and facts as frequently as the rest. So many in today’s world view animal research as morally wrong and believe animals do have rights. Peter Singer, an author and philosophy professor, “argues that because animals have nervous systems and can suffer just as much as humans can, it is wrong for humans to use animals for research, food, or clothing” (Singer 17). Do animals have any rights? Is animal experimentation ethical? These are questions many struggle with day in and day out in the ongoing battle surrounding the controversial topic of animal research and testing, known as vivisection.
Animals are used in research to develop new medicines and for scientists to test the safety of the medicines. This animal testing is called vivisection. Research is being carried out at universities, medical schools and even in primary and elementary schools as well as in commercial facilities which provide animal experiments to industry. (UK Parliament) In addition, animals are also used in cosmetic testing, toxicology tests, “defense research” and “xenotransplantation”. All around the world, a huge amount of animals are sentenced to life in a laboratory cage and they are obliged to feel loneliness and pain. In addition scientists causing pain, most drugs that pas successfully in animals fail in humans. It is qualified as a bad science. Above all, animals have rights not to be harmed even though the Animal Welfare Act does not provide them even with minimal protection. The law does not find it necessary to use current alternatives to animals, even if they are obtainable. Animal testing should be banned due to animal rights, ethical issues, alternative ways and the unreliability of test results in humans.
...ines to stop dangerous diseases (Paul). Animal research has played a vital role in medical science for the last century. Animal testing has been very essential to medical research and have led to discovering new tools to help individuals. Because of animal testing we have discovered new medicines and procedures to benefit people such as, antibiotics, blood transfusions, organ-transplantations, and vaccinations. Animal organizations and activist has little knowledge on medical research, so they don’t know how this research benefits us. Animal testing has proven to be a very important part in medical studies and it will continue to be for generations to generations. Animal testing will never end but evolve and lead us to further medical understanding. Without animal testing we would be expose to chemical, Air-Bourne, and contagious diseases this world will hand to us.
Scientist, researchers, and lab technicians have the tendency to use animal testing. However, there is a much more extravagant term for people who perform medical tests on animals which is “vivisectionist”. Animal testing is the use of non-human animals in research and development projects. It has a specific purpose and that is determining the safety of substances, medicine effects, and possibly risks. Scientist tend to focus on the major factor which is the use of animals and how it correlates with research to develop new medicines and for scientists to test the safety of the medicines. Scientist also use animal testing because they would rather have a dead animal versus a dead human.
“If possessing a higher degree of intelligence does not entitle one human to use another for his or her own ends, how can it entitle humans to exploit non-humans?” (Singer) According to the New England Anti-Vivisection Society (NEAVS), figures show that over 25 million animals are used annually in lab testing, whether it is cosmetic, pharmaceutical, medical, or psychological. Since not every animal is thoroughly accounted for (i.e. the thousands of lab rats and mice used in various experiments), this estimate is more likely to be around 100 million animals used annually. Animals have been proven to show suffering just like humans, and the grounds of the “Animal Rights Movement” should be treated with the same respect as things such as the various Civil Rights movements have.
In the late 1800’s, British Quakers stated that the practice of vivisection was immoral and opposed what Christ intended for the relationship between humans and animals. In the 1960’s, animal rights became popular in the United States and Europe and the organizations formed by this movement emphasized that animals should have the same rights as humans. The standards of experimental tests on animals have improved tremendously and laws such as, the Animal Welfare Act, have been passed to ensure the proper treatment of the test subjects. Anesthetics are now used to reduce pain and the animals are under constant surveillance. The ethics of vivisection will remain questioned by skeptics and illegal practices will still occur, but the practice as a whole has