Animal testing Essay -- Animal Testing

When it comes to animals and their rights, there is a definite line between our needs and our taking advantage of those species that we consider inferior. As long as man has existed he has been carnivorous, and the same holds true for many other species of animals. Animals are a necessity to humans for survival, whether it be for food, clothing, etc. However, the unnecessary torture of animals through testing is not a necessity for human survival. When it comes to the needless torture of animals that we claim to benefit, the animals lives need to be taken into consideration. S. F. Sapontzis gives his theory as to why animals should not be used in testing. To start with, animals are not capable of giving their consent to be used as subjects in an experiment. Secondly, "experiments can only be performed on an individual who is willing, morally speaking. Therefore it is immoral to use animals in experiments" (Sapontzis 209). It would be great if this world where our lives wer e actually governed by morals. The sad truth is that we do not. Until we do, someone is going to have to stand up for the silent majority that is incapable of voicing its opinion. When there is torture and unjust treatment towards humans, people then realize that it is wrong. These people realize that it's wrong when it comes to animals as well. Henry Spira said of the animals used in experiments: "†¦the victims are unable to organize in defense of their own interests" (Spira 194). When it comes to needlessly conducting experiments on animals, no one ever says anything. Humans need to stop thinking about themselves as a superior species to other animals. They have to start thinking about how we can stop the cruelty that they inflict upon animals day after day in experiment after experiment. Tom Regan, a well-known animal rights activist, wrote, "the fundamental wrong is the system that allows us to view animals as our resources, here for us- to be eaten, or surgi cally manipulated, or exploited for sport or money" (Regan 14). Nothing could be more true than this fact; man considers itself such a superior species that all others were put on earth for his convenience. It is this type of thinking that has gotten humans to the place where we are today. What humanity needs to do is get off its high-horse and realize that they are not the king of the jungle and we rea... ...n estimated that between 100 million and 200 million animals die in laboratories around the world each year" (Ryder 77-78). Although it has been proven that a lot of good has come out of animal research and animal testing, this does not make up for all the pain and suffering that these animals go though without being able to consent. The truth still remains that, despite the benefits (when there are benefits), perhaps we need to contemplate the effects that our actions are having on these animals. Work Cited Blum, Debrorah. The Monkey Wars. New York: Oxford. 1994 "Experiments on Animals." Animal Rights and Human Obligations. Eds. Tom Regan and Peter Singer. Englewoods Cilffs: Prentice Hall. 1976 Regan, Tom. The Case for Animal Rights. Los Angels: University of California Press. 1983 Ryder, Richard R. Animal Revolution. Cambridge: Basil Blackwell. 1989 Sapontzis, S. F. Morals, Reason, and Animals. Philidelphia: Temple U P. 1987 "Speciesism in the Laboratory." In Defense of Animals." Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford: Blackwell. 1985 Spira, Henry. "Fighting To Win." In Defense of Animals." Ed. Peter Singer. Oxford: Blackwell. 1985