Preview

Killing Animals Immoral?

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1012 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Killing Animals Immoral?
Killing Animals Immoral?
Animal experimentation has been a major debate in the national community since the 1600s, and has grown immensely since then. The debate has many views, which three of will be expressed in this paper. The three are: how animal experimentation is wrong and immoral, how it helps the larger community and doesn’t hurt the larger community, and how it sometimes is immoral or wrong but in other times it helps the community. This debate is documented by many people and should be researched extensively and not just tossed to the side. Animal experimentation has helped with many scientific developments and other developments like make-up. On the other hand it has hurt many animals and many people find this wrong. This means that scientists and people who use animal experimentation products care about this debate as well as animal right’s activists. One view of animal experimentation is how it is immoral and wrong. The center of the debate is whether animals should be used for medical research. The question that should be asked is, does the human species deserve inclusion in research over other species? Peter Singer, professor of bioethics at Princeton University, wrote: “Despite obvious differences between humans and nonhuman animals, we share with them a capacity to suffer, and this means that they, like us, have interests. If we ignore or discount their interests, simply on the grounds that they are not members of our species, the logic of our position is similar to that of the most blatant racists or sexists who think that those who belong to their race or sex have superior moral status, simply in virtue of their race or sex, and irrespective of other characteristics or qualities." Humans have shown their capability to control other species by capturing them, imprisoning them, and subjecting them to many strange experiments to see how the animals would react. The BUAV (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection) says that the main reason



Cited: Wright, George Hoagland, Steve. "Counterpoint: Animal Testing Is Cruel And Immoral Regardless Of The Benefits Associated With It." Points Of View: Animal Experimentation (2011): 3. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. Frey, R. G. "Justifying Animal Experimentation." Society 39.6 (2002): 37. Points of View Reference Center. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. Driscoll, Sally Finley, Laura. "Animal Experimentation: An Overview." Points Of View: Animal Experimentation (2011): 1.Points of View Reference Center. Web. 20 Feb. 2012.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    Animal Testing Ethics

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Animals are usually confined to small cages and being exposed to harmful fumes for human benefit.In their “Animal” Journal, Elisabeth H. Ormandy and Catherine Schuppli claim that "the use of animals in research fosters a diverse range of attitudes, with some people expressing the desire for complete abolition of animal research practices, while others express strong support (392)." Animal testing has stirred up an argument between two opposing sides regarding the ethics of the practice. The two opposing sides are those who disagree with animal testing and those who agree with animal testing. Nuno Henrique Franco author of "Animal Experiments in Biomedical Research: A Historical Perspective" state that "Animal experimentation has played a central role in biomedical research throughout history. For centuries, however, it has also been an issue of heated public and philosophical discussion."(238) Those who are in favor of animal testing believe that it is beneficial to improving medicine. Those who are against animal testing believe that it is harmful to animals and that their are other ways to benefit humans. Being an animal lover, I oppose of animal testing for several different reasons. The first reason being animals are being subjected to all forms of suffering and isolation. The second reason is animals are not…

    • 1778 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    `”God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages” (Deval, Jacques). There are many things wrong about animal research, and I think that a lot of it is wrong. Animal testing is wrong because it harms animals, animals’ rights are violated in tests, it is expensive, there are better alternatives, and the results of these tests aren’t always accurate or reliable.…

    • 1351 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    In the article “Animal Testing Is Cruel and Immoral Regardless of the Benefits Associated With It,” by George Wright and Steve Hoagland, the authors, argue that the use of animals for medical experiments is an immoral practice. The authors describe why people do not ask if the human species is more deserving of under going medical experiments than the animals. Also, in the article by Peter Singer, he said that if we share with them a capacity to suffer, this means that animals like people have interests. Like racism or sexists who believe that those who belong to their race or sex are superior, we are doing the same to the animals. But, there is no difference because animals also can feel. Why can only animals suffer? Wright and Hoagland demonstrate, that the human take advantage to govern the animals like capturing them and holding them in tiny cages. The authors give examples, about the last incident in 1983 at the University of Pennsylvania in which 150 baboons suffered brain damage. No doubt, there are a lot of cruelty of animals, but not just for the the…

    • 2950 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal experimentation is a highly controversial subject throughout the world and in the 20th century the public has become increasingly aware of the two sides to animal testing. The earliest dated animal testing can be traced back to 384-322 BCE and it is still a common practice to this day. There are a few disagreements that are highly debated about animal experimentation such as the importance of the testing for scientific and medical goals, the suffering of the animals, and the ethical principles that apply to animals. Both sides of animal experimentation have their reasons and facts for why animal testing is ethical or unethical, but it comes down to the amount of pain the animals suffers and if it is morally correct.…

    • 909 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Exploratory Paper

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Animal Experimentation plays an important role in today’s medical and pharmaceutical advances, but many question the morality of such a use of animal life. Whether you argue that testing different products and drugs on animals is necessary or not, this has become an integral part of developing products. From that Tylenol you pop to get rid of your headache, to that perfect shade of pink lip gloss, animal testing is used in order to produce the simplest household items. Today, in the United States, it is federal law that requires all pharmaceuticals, food additives, cosmetics, and garden chemicals to undergo a series of tests, including animal testing, before being available to general public. It is estimated between fifty and a hundred million vertebrate animals worldwide are being used fro animal experiments. While many believe that animal experimentation is a crucial part of research and safety, others argue the morality of this issue. Another point of view some share is a mixture of both opposing views, where one believes that animal experimentation should only be condoned in the field of medical research but not for vanity reasons.…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Persuasive Paper

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages

    References: (n.d.). Animal testing is bad science:point/counterpoint . Retrieved from peta.org (n.d.). Alternatives to animal testing. Retrieved from peta.org (n.d.). Cruelty to animals in laboratories . Retrieved from peta.org (n.d.). Information about animal testing . Retrieved from peta.org…

    • 1111 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    As a psychology student I understand the implication that animal research as an integral part of psychology and many other scientific experiments. But I have, like many others, believed using animals for the purpose of serving humanity seemed cruel and immoral. Regardless of whether the research was to cure a disease or study a disorder. At the same time, I cannot help but feel somewhat of a hypocrite. Yes, cutting up an animal or shocking it with electricity sounds very cruel but how about going to see a horse race or even going to the Zoo. I can’t help but feel on some level, that it in its own way is cruel. Singer had argued that animals deserve equal rights as humans and deserve moral consideration. Is trapping a wild animal in small confinements so that we can gawk and admire them treating them with same equal right as a human? I don’t believe any human would like to be stuck in a cage so that they can be stared at all day. In fact, some may even argue that it is inhumane. One might contend that these animals aren’t suffering but how many times have animal rights activists bashed Zoos for providing inadequate treatment for these animals. And how much light has been put on farm animals being tortured, little chicks getting beaks cut off while they are still alive, cows getting whipped and kicked. Yet even with this awareness most people still eat chicken and beef from the people responsible for this cruelty, without much protest. We donate millions of our money to encouraging scientists to find the treatment for diseases such as cancer. Yet we disagree with them when they use animals in the process, even when it is clearly stated as necessary.…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Animal Testing Is Wrong 1

    • 2184 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Millions of animals are used every year for a wide variety of scientific and medical purposes. Some of this scientific research is to learn about and improve the welfare of animals, but most of the animal experiments are unfortunately conducted for human benefits. An estimated eight million animals are used in painful experiments, which can range from getting pricked with a needle to more severe experiments, and ten percent of these animals do not receive painkillers. Then after all of the pain that they had been put through, some of them are euthanized when scientists are no longer in need of experimenting on them. Animal rights advocates want government agencies to impose heavy restrictions on animal research, but their opposition of painful animal experimentation is matched by the growing concern that these restrictions would pose a threat to scientific progress. Although there has been scientific progress from this, animal testing is still cruel, immoral, and unnecessary because all animals, like humans, have value and are worthy of being treated with respect.…

    • 2184 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 1200 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Animal Testing Outline

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Today, I will first discuss the cruel injustice of animals during history, then discuss the major ways of how research on animals is wrong, and finally persist on the solutions to animal testing by announcing the different alternatives.…

    • 610 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Thesis Statement: Animal testing is a debatable issue in modern society. Some people argue that animal testing should be kept due to medical benefits and research study conveniences. However, I think animal experimentation should be banned by refuting supporters’ arguments.…

    • 2162 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although animal research saves lives, the main opposition to animal testing claims that it is cruel and inhumane. While it may sometimes appear animal testing is cruel and inhumane, studies show however; that in most facilities, animals are cared for and are not treated badly. “Whether an organization is private, non-profit, government based or at a university campus, the rules and regulations all apply to each facility.…

    • 844 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    “All living beings have an inherent value and that to use any animals for experimentation is evil” (Mur 8). This statement made by Tom Regan in Animal Experimentation takes a strong stand on the controversial topic of animal testing, but this assertion is justified through various examples and research. He also states how humans, or moral agents, are able to apply moral principles in decision making. Because of this ability, humans have a duty to uphold that morality on other humans as well as those with an inherent value, such as animals. Animal activists strongly support this idea, yet researchers use animals to implement experiments that they claim to be morally justified and beneficial to humanity. However,…

    • 2075 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Wright, George, and Steve Hoagland. "Counterpoint: Animal Testing Is Cruel and Immoral Regardless of The Benefits Associated With It." Animal Experimentation. Ed. Susan C. Hunnicutt. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2014. At Issue. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Sun. 6 Nov. 2016.…

    • 1146 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    This paper supports both sides of the argument with favor toward continuance and advancement of animal experimentation. The issue of whether animal experimentation should be a method of research has…

    • 1258 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays