Animal Rights

There are certain types of discrimination that have been outlawed in our society. The positive aspects of animal testing far outweigh the negative. Scientists are concerned about their research animals, both for humane reasons and because healthy test animals are necessary for valid research results. There are actually a number of safeguards in place that govern the care and treatment of laboratory animals. If I spot my little brother being hit by another child who is older and bigger in the street, nobody would think any the worse of me for stepping in, stopping the fight, tending my brother’s bruises and sending the other child away. We do rank the importance of animal and human life on a scale, with human life near the top and animal life further down. Sometimes it is necessary to kill animals for medical research as well. This is discrimination against the other child in favor of my brother, but few would disagree with what I did. Humans are a very special kind of animal, but we cannot deny our animal origins. This federal law contains the standards for all aspects of care and experimentation on laboratory animals, from feeding to ventilation, to provisions for the use of anesthesia for the possibly painful procedures. Also the same methods that are painful to animals have also improved the lives of countless animals. There is too much controversy over something that we benefit from. More than eighty medicines and vaccines developed for humans are now used to heal pets, farm animals, and wildlife (Miller).

We recognize that humans are probably unique in their ability to define abstract ideas like right and wrong and then to recognize when our actions fall into either category.