Vivisection is a controversial subject that has been debated for numerous years. The term has recently come to be used for any type of animal experimentation, but the true definition, according to The Colombia Encyclopedia, is the dissection of living animals for experimental purposes. Vivisection began in the seventeenth century in Europe, but did not become widely known there until the nineteenth century. In the United States, the National Institute of Health in 1896 was the first to encourage proper treatment of the animals used in labs and over the years many more organizations have cropped up. Internationally, vivisection has been used in places such as Japan, India, and Germany, to name a few. Vivisection is still used in various ways today in the areas of research, product testing, and education.
When viewed from a scientific standpoint, vivisection reaps several benefits. Throughout the years, contributions such as, lifesaving cures and treatments have been proclaimed to be discovered through the practice of vivisection. Medicines like the polio vaccine and the vaccine for
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hepatitis B, for example, are only a minute portion of the advancements made through vivisection. Another advantage, is the fact that the body functions and makeups of certain animals are extremely similar to those of humans. The benefits of vivisection do not only affect humans, but they also assist researchers in finding new medicines and treatments for animal ailments. Vivisection has contributed to science in numerous ways and will likely remain a large part in scientific studies until a different method is found for research. The ethics and moral standards of vivisection have been in question for as long as people have known about the subject.
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
improved. In the book, The Medical Age by B.W. Palmer there is an interesting alternative to animal vivisection. It suggests taking criminals that are subjected to execution and using them for the experiments. This would provide the best results to the experiments because it would be a human body under testing. An unrelated benefit to this would be the possible decrease in crimes punishable by death because there would be a fear of the possible punishment. This alternative is quite thought provoking and could certainly be a potential change in the science of vivisection. The practice of vivisection has been used over the centuries and has greatly improved. Many organizations have been formed and several laws have been passed in order to protect the animals used. The advantages of vivisection in science are important for the advancement of medicine and treatments. The ethics of this practice will remain questioned, but the practice of vivisection itself will be used in science until an acceptable alternative is discovered.
“Frequently Asked Questions." The Truth About Vivisection. In Defense of Animals, n.d. Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
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
Both in and out of philosophical circle, animals have traditionally been seen as significantly different from, and inferior to, humans because they lacked a certain intangible quality – reason, moral agency, or consciousness – that made them moral agents. Recently however, society has patently begun to move beyond this strong anthropocentric notion and has begun to reach for a more adequate set of moral categories for guiding, assessing and constraining our treatment of other animals. As a growing proportion of the populations in western countries adopts the general position of animal liberation, more and more philosophers are beginning to agree that sentient creatures are of a direct moral concern to humans, though the degree of this concern is still subject to much disagreement. The political, cultural and philosophical animal liberation movement demands for a fundamental transformation of humans’ present relations to all sentient animals. They reject the idea that animals are merely human resources, and instead claim that they have value and worth in themselves. Animals are used, among other things, in basic biomedical research whose purpose is to increase knowledge about the basic processes of human anatomy. The fundamental wrong with this type of research is that it allows humans to see animals as here for them, to be surgically manipulated and exploited for money. The use of animals as subjects in biomedical research brings forth two main underlying ethical issues: firstly, the imposition of avoidable suffering on creatures capable of both sensation and consciousness, and secondly the uncertainty pertaining to the notion of animal rights.
Although not as strictly addressed, there is still a schism when it comes to the matters of experimentation involving animals. Those in opposition of it see it as being against the will of the animal, because animals have no say in the matter. However, through animal experimentation there has been vast medical advances in hospitals and veterinarians , research has led to cures for various diseases that would normally take many more years to cure, and the use of animals is highly ethical considering what could be the alternative, although there is progress being made to change these measures. This is how animal experimentation is of use to society for humans and animals.
Power. It is defined as the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events. Throughout time, certain individuals have acquired power in their society as a way to govern and keep order among their community. Power is not a new concept; it was used in the past by many emperors, kings, and queens, and is still being used by presidents, prime ministers, and dictators. Although, it has been used to further progress societies into what the world is like today, not all power has been used for the best of mankind. But what goes awry to make power turn corrupt? In William Shakespeare's Hamlet, it is illustrated how power can turn corrupt, when authoritative figures, who possess power, abuse it for their personal gain, rather than for the common good of the society.
Everyone Is A Monster In Frankenstein, Mary Shelley uses emotional intensity and nature as refuge as her main focus. She tells us that nobody is born a monster, it is society's personal view that makes you who you are. The Monster has been on his own ever since the beginning. He tries to be a good civilized person more than once and fails. Victor shows us what all society will think of him right at the beginning of the chapter.
The roots of animal experimentation began in the early 1600s when the world expressed in interests on the functions of animals and their uses in human life. However, it wasn’t until the incident regarding the drug thalidomide in 1960 did the government make it a requirement for drugs be tested on animals. During the incident, millions of women took the medication believing that it would be a source of relieve from morning sickness, not knowing however that it would cause irrevocable effects on their unborn children (Watson 4). Although the ruling seemed to provide a sigh of relief to some, the very idea of placing animals in strange uncomfortable environments and experiencing pain and euthanasia angered many. According to the American Anti-Vivisection Society, commonly known as AAVS, It is wrong to treat animals as objects for the purpose of scientific research, and to cause them pain and suffering (“Animal Research Is Unethical and Scientifically Unnecessary”). Although the arguments against animal experimentation seem credible, animal testing on medicines and products are necessary in order to insure the safety of human beings.
One of the most repetitive and controversial topics discussed in the criminal justice system, is the death penalty. Capital punishment has been a part of our nation’s history since the creation of our constitution. In fact, as of January 1st, 2016, 2,943 inmates were awaiting their fate on death row (Death Penalty Information Center). Throughout my life, I have always been a strong advocate for the death penalty. During the majority of my undergraduate degree, I was a fierce supporter of capital punishment when discussing the topic in classes. However, throughout many criminal justice courses, I found myself in the minority, regarding the abolishment of the death penalty. While debating this topic, I would always find myself sympathetic to the victims and their families, as one should be, wanting those who were responsible for heinous crimes to
National Anti-Vivisection Society (2012). The failure of the animal model. Retrieved from http://www.navs.org/science/failure-of-the-animal-model. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (2013). Animal testing 101 -.
Animal testing is a controversial topic with two main sides of the argument. The side apposing animal testing states it is unethical and inhumane; that animals have a right to choose where and how they live instead of being subjected to experiments. The view is that all living organism have a right of freedom; it is a right, not a privilege. The side for animal testing thinks that it should continue, without animal testing there would be fewer medical and scientific breakthroughs. This side states that the outcome is worth the investment of testing on animals. The argument surrounding animal testing is older than the United States of America, dating back to the 1650’s when Edmund O’Meara stated that vivisection, the dissection of live animals, is an unnatural act. Although this is one of the first major oppositions to animal testing, animal testing was being practiced for millennia beforehand. There are two sides apposing each other in the argument of animal testing, and the argument is one of the oldest arguments still being debated today.
The strongest controversial argument against vivisection has been the pain inflicted on the animals used. "The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated." (Gandhi). This is a powerful quote reflecting on humans as a nation. People need to respect animals just as they would a human being. The discomfort the subjects experience is unimaginable and would be considered barbaric to perform on humans. So why animals? Because they don’t have a voice to say no? Because humans are ‘superior’ to animals? It is irresponsible on a human’s part to take these animals out of their habitat and put them in a place to suffer and ultimately die.
Those who actively pursue denying the rights of others while trying to further their cause lead to a hatred against their movement. Vaccines, while an important aspect in maintaining proper health they should not be absolutely mandatory. The choice of vaccination should be left to the parents, as it is their right to nurture and care for their kids as they see fit(Anthony). Furthermore, a governmental mandate on vaccination causes many issues, it denies rights to the parents, it denies right to the grown adults and it taxes those who don’t comply. This strategy is not a very American approach, it is a strict mandate, and order then to conform. This goes against the American concepts of individualism(Anthony), this concept is Communist. There are also many circumstances that mandatory vaccination neglects, this includes the civil liberties granted to all citizens by the first amendment, and the equal protection granted by the 13 amendment(US Constitution). There are many reasons why the idea of mandatory
vivisection Animal Research and Testing, Is it Ethical? “It is a simple fact that many, if not most, of today’s modern medical miracles would not exist if experimental animals had not been available to medical scientists. It is equally a fact that, should we as a society decide the use of animal subjects is ethically unacceptable and therefore must be stopped, medical progress will slow to a snail’s pace. Such retardation will in itself have a huge ethical ‘price tag’ in terms of continued human and animal suffering from problems such as diabetes, cancer, degenerative cardiovascular diseases, and so forth.” Dr. Simmonds, a veterinarian who specializes in the care of laboratory animals, is one of many who believe that animal testing is an ethical practice.
Every year thousands of mice, dogs, primates and other animals are victims of vivisection all over the world. These experiments are inhumane, ineffective, and absolutely pointless when there are alternate testing methods. These animals undergo painful suffering, and sometimes death as a result of scientific research into the effects of drugs, cosmetics, food additives, and other chemical products.
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.