An argument that is particularly hard to argue when it is steeped in morality. However, it is not one that we should ignore. With that being said, there is a morally pressing issue that is deeply important to me: the euthanasia of animals. Specifically I will be discussing the topic of euthanasia to animals in non-critical conditions, meaning cases that do not involve intense medical problems in which the animal suffers a great deal. It is becoming increasingly harder to see the difference between sending an animal to a shelter or simply doing away with them. Though some may view this topic as unimportant, at least some consideration is deserved by this topic. It is a topic that deals with a significant decision. Not everyone is an animal lover …show more content…
In the article “PETA's euthanasia policy casts doubt on their goals,” Josephine Lien questions PETA’s actions and endorsements by saying, “With an annual budget of $37 million dollars, PETA possesses the financial ability to provoke change, an advantage that many groups lack. However, a significant portion of the budget goes toward its infamous celebrity-endorsed campaigns.” (Lien). There is obviously a blatant disregard for the search of a more humane a viable solution. Also, as stated before, their argument for the use of euthanasia was decent, but the sheer amount of it they are willing to use is agitating to the argument. The questionable activities of PETA have not only cast doubt upon their name, but also their arguments towards the endorsement of …show more content…
However, that is not the goal of this argument; it is to find a more stable and humane solution to this overcrowding that plagues the nation’s shelters. There are much more practical and morally satisfying ways of addressing the problem of overcrowding. A very promising example of this would be the work done in the state of Georgia. The statistics regarding Georgia’s euthanasia rates were very grim: “...1997 National Council on Pet Population survey estimated that shelters euthanize 64% of the animals they take in. In 2010, the division began publishing its rate: 79%. Local animal rights activists were less than pleased.” (Brzozowski). However, through the extensive hard work and dedication of Drale Short, the Division’s euthanasia percentage has dropped drastically over the past 5 years (Brzozowski). The significant improvement is a direct result from the Save-A-Pet program. The program implemented and enforced many beneficiary concepts: partnering with rescue groups, developing professional volunteers, preventing reproduction, etc… There’s no point in listing out all the concepts that the program devised because the real message here is that euthanasia prevention can be planned, it can be organized, and it can be implemented. The euthanasia percentage drop this state saw is proof - “Today, at 26%, the division’s euthanasia rate is among the nation’s lowest.”
It is estimated that more than 1 million people die annually in the United States from heart disease and cancer combined (Leading Causes of Death). What if all of those human lives could have been saved by sacrificing relatively few animals? Conservationists and animal rights activists always have the best of intentions for animals and the environment. They believe that animals should never have to suffer because of the choices human beings make. This view can be unrealistic in many situations. Jane Goodall’s A Question of Ethics was a very emotional and Rogerian style essay, but I found it lacked the supporting facts and credibility that can be found in Heloisa Sabin’s aggressive “classic” styled essay Animal research Saves Human Lives.
When I think of euthanasia, my mind tends to drift towards stories played out in the media and with various acquaintances’ throughout the years. One case that comes to mind is that of Terri Schiavo. The highly publicized and prolonged series of legal challenges presented in the case of Terri Schiavo was a legal and government conflict with the core issue being prolonged life - which persisted from 1990 to 2005. The heart of the matter was whether to carry out the decision of the husband of Teresa Marie "Terri" Schiavo to terminate life support and allowing her life to end. Doctors medically diagnosed her as being in a persistent vegetative state without any chance of any hope of recovery. Ultimately, after years of drifting in and out of the United States court system, along with government intervention Terri ultimately was removed from life-support and expir...
Thousands of animals are put to sleep each year due to not having any available homes for them to be adopted. According to Jennifer Sexton and Tom Warhol in Domestic Animal Overpopulation, “The average female cat can produce two litters of six kittens per year, a female dog can produce one litter of six or more puppies per year, making pet overpopulation a significant problem.” Animal overpopulation is costing money and you can help the pets with spay and neutering programs. A new solution is mandatory contracts for breeders and spay and neuter programs. This paper will talk about spay and neuter programs, contracts for breeders, and why some people don’t think animal overpopulation is a problem. Thankfully there are solutions to this issue of animal overpopulation.
The Truth About No-Kill Animal Shelters. Examiner. The. N.p., 13 June 2012. Web. The Web.
PETA portrays itself as the messiah of animals however, they share more of a resemblance with a villain right out of a horror movie. They lure animals in with promises they will not kill them in their sleep. You would think an organization that supports the ethical treatment of animals would keep them alive however, you would be very wrong because annually PETA euthanizes 90% of the animals they pick up. And these are not sick or non- rehabilitatable animals these are perfectly healthy kittens, puppies, bunnies and other cute animals who made their way to a PETA shelter hoping to find a new home only to be euthanized within 24 hours. This is mainly because PETA does not believe people should own pets and think humans have breed animals with selfish intentions, that this goes against the
The purpose of this essay is to inform readers clearly and coherently enoughof the terms and issues in the euthanasia debate that they can make sense of the euthanasia question. Descriptions are in relatively simple, non-technical language to facilitate learning.
This essay will present in detail and with documentation the formation and growth and stated goals of the euthanasia movement in our country.
This theme song to a popular cartoon is a farce dealing with experiments carried out on animals. In the cartoon one mouse is made very smart and wants to take over the world while the other is clearly not as smart. While the cartoon makes jokes, the reality is that mice and other animals re being used for medical tests every day. For some people this testing brings up ethical questions. One of the biggest questions: is it really necessary to take the lives of animals in the name of science and for the betterment of humanity? For animal rights activists, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the answer is no. PETA pressures labs into halting experiments because they believe that animals are not to be used by humans for "food, clothing, entertainment, or to experiment on" (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 1). Its stance is that any testing is painful, inhumane, and unnecessary when alternatives are available. The PETA website says that "animals, like humans, have interests that cannot be sacrificed or traded away simply because it might benefit others." (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 2-3). Essentially, PETA is of the opinion that animals and humans should have identical rights. In their press releases PETA puts out pictures of rabbits with open flesh wounds and dogs with rashes on their skins--all in an attempt to disgust people into sympathy for their cause. In actuality the number of lab animals used has been cut in half in the last 25 years (James-Enger 254). Of the animals used, 90 percent are rats and mice (James-Enger 1). Moreover, 11 million animals die each year in animal shelters (Americans for Medical Progress 2) and an astounding 95 percent ...
A large amount of information relating to animal rights disseminates from the many websites PETA is associated with. These websites are a key factor to attract supporters and publish information that will help advance its activism. These two PETA websites that were very useful for researching this paper are www.peta.org and www.furisdead.com. These websites ...
"Pet Overpopulation : The Humane Society of the United States." RSS. The Humane Society of
Euthanasia is a sensitive topic and its sensitivity brings the world to a division. The two sides are those who support the issue and those who are not in favour. The side that supports the idea can argue that...
While some people may believe that euthanizing animals is important and can protect people from dangerous animals or that it puts animals out of pain; I strongly encourage them to look at the other side of the argument. Understanding that many people abuse euthanizing for their own convenience is just one of the reasons we should stop euthanizing. Among other reasons is that people need to understand that euthanizing can immensely hurt a population of species by killing too many too soon. Above all, letting nature take it's course by allowing animals to die when it's their time is why we should not allow humans to euthanize. We should not decide animals fate for them. Therefore, I encourage that we take a stand against euthanasia. Together, we can stop this cruel act against
PETA deals with many animal rights issues, some including fair treatment to animals in movies and entertainment, such as Khartoum. PETA is a non-profit organization with a purpose of getting better treatment for animals. The organization has uncovered many illegal projects, which harm animals in doing so. In 1981, PETA uncovered the abuse of animals in laboratories and experiments, which launched the Silver Springs monkeys case. In this experiment, Dr. Edward Taub was cutting major nerves in the arms of monkeys, and teaching them how to use the paralyzed arm. While people argued that this experiment had no value to it, Taub did app...
Animal euthanasia can be a very serious issue to talk about. Everyday, thousands of unwanted and stray animals were put into animal shelters. When an animal is suffering from illness and has no chance to survive, euthanize it may be the most humane thing to do. However, there are many animals shelters (kill shelters) in the United States that euthanized animals even the healthy ones to make more room and because they are low on money. Many people called this action “murder”. However, if you really think about it, kill animal shelters are actually more beneficial for animals than no-kill animal shelters would. It is more beneficial because with no kill animal shelters, animals will still die but they will die in pain, animals in the no-kill animal shelters are
Some of the disadvantages of euthanasia in the vet clinic are It becomes a solution for population control, It can be a go-to option when pet owners can’t afford medical treatment, and it is a difficult decision to make. Euthanasia can become a solution for overpopulation because shelters euthanize animals when they are full beyond capacity. Instead of people neutering and spaying their animals they look at euthanasia as a solution. Instead of euthanizing the animals people should be encouraged to adopt animals from shelters and/or support and fund shelters so they can support more animals. Euthanasia can become a go-to option for pet owners who can not afford medical treatment because unlike human health care there are not many financial options.