To Test or Not To Test
(A Paper From My Advanced Writing Class)
To Test or Not to Test
Think back to when you had your first pet. You came home everyday and your pal was waiting for you at the door or in the front window. You’d walk in and Mittens or Fido would be there at your feet or jump on your lap. They would bark or meow, asking to be played with or scratched behind the ears. You loved it and you could tell they enjoyed it as well. Could you even picture your furry friend being locked in a cage while a scientist or student comes over and takes it out? Would you panic at the thought of your beloved pet being part of an experiment?
"There is no fundamental difference between humans and the higher mammals in their mental faculties" ~ Charles Darwin
We all know that animal testing is a common practice. From middle school to the college level, most of us at one time or another had to dissect an animal. But did you ever wonder where that piglet or frog came from? According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), over five million animals are killed for the use of classroom dissections every year. They come from various sources too numerous and disturbing to list. It is true that you will learn from the hands on experience, but killing innocent and helpless victims is not necessary. Some scientists will say they don’t want to use animals, but they feel they have no other option. Very few scientists have used artificial skin, bone marrow, human tissues, and protein membranes. It’s very interesting that even human brain cells were used to create a "micro brain" model. This model is a replacement for live animal counterparts (PETA Media Center 2007). However, these humane alternatives of experimentation are of a very small percentage.
When it comes to learning, there is no discrimination against any species of animal. Medical professionals will use any animal at their disposal. Dogs, cats, monkeys and countless others are being used for testing everything from cosmetics and pet food to drug addiction and stun guns (www.stopanimaltests.com). Other unimaginable experiments include the use brains, hearts and spines of animals that are still alive! The University of California at San Francisco was fined $92,000 for 60-plus violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act is the federal law that governs the humane care, handling, treatment, and transportation of animals used in laboratories (PETA 2007).Some of the violations involved deprivation of water and various surgeries without anesthesia. These acts cause not just physical injuries, but also psychological pain. Most mammals feel some degree of pain, whether it be bodily or emotionally.
Animals cannot speak, however the pain is obviously seen in laboratory observations. Animals cower with fear in their cages. Some will scream. Some are still with terror. Stress, depression, and even neurosis has been documented to develop in the animals. Three common procedures performed on animals were studied to prove these conditions. Routine handling, venipuncture (the puncturing of a vein for a medical purpose), and orogastric gavage (feeding tube forced down the throat) lead to heightened blood pressure, heart rate, and acute stress levels.
I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being" ~ Abraham Lincoln
Some animals have been forced to continuously breed, even as they nurse their current young. These babies are pulled from the mother whenever needed for lab studies. One experiment, which was funded by the National Institute of Deafness, involved isolation of a monkey in a room with trained raptors. Scientists wanted to study the distress calls of the primate (PETA 2007). Another study focused on the toxicity and addictive properties of cocaine and heroin. Monkeys became addicted to the drugs, displayed withdrawal symptoms, and were then injected with chemicals to reintroduce the drugs effects. This study alone cost over one-million dollars. These raptor and drug experiments were conducted at Harvard University. Institutions can use less expensive testing alternatives including stem cells, human skin left over from surgeries and cadavers. Students are even able to observe human operations, have access to patient simulators, and sophisticated computer programs. These learning alternatives will cost save tax payers millions of dollars!
"Humaneness is not a dead external precept, but a living impulse from within; not self-sacrifice, but self-fulfillment" ~ Henry Salt
Many professionals and educators in the medical field will defend the use of animals for scientific means. It is logical that they do have to observe interactions in live subjects. However using defenseless animals is not feasible. There is no doubt that cancer and disease are terrible things, but is it really beneficial to create cancer in a helpless lab animal? An artificial condition created in a formerly healthy animal is usually inconclusive and morally corrupt. Trying to translate the results to a human counterpart is unsettling and unreliable. Drugs are also tested on animals, and these too are unreliable methods. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that only 8 percent of drugs that were tested on animals actually reached the market. This means that 92 percent of the drugs were found unsafe or ineffective in humans.
Certain experimenters feel that it is fair to cause pain to animals because they feel animals lack reasoning and are inferior to us (The Philosophy of Animal Rights). Is it okay to experiment on a human baby or mentally retarded person? Of course it isn’t! Similarly, it is wrong to sacrifice and torture hundreds even thousands of animals and cause them mental and physical pain for the benefit of human kind. In Great Britain, it is now illegal for medical and veterinary students to practice surgery on animals. Schools in the United States are just starting to favor hands-on practice with human patients under the supervision of experienced physicians.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Animal testing not only exists in schools, laboratories and hospitals but also in the commercial industry. Companies Coca-Cola and Pepsi are guilty of these abusive crimes (PETA 2007). Coca-Cola had a senseless and extremely gruesome method of force-feeding chemicals to rats and chimps. This study, funded by a grant, supposedly was to test reception of taste. Does it confirm how tasty soda will be by cutting open a chimps face? Pepsi for some reason infected mice with a respiratory illness and made them run on treadmills for two hours at a time. After the mice died, the company could now substantiate health claims on the product labels. Does this test substantiate cardiac endurance while being ill (on the part of the mice)? What do these experiments have to do with humans enjoying carbonated beverages? This year, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi pledged to end all animal testing.
Many ancient civilizations honored their animals. In the 21st century, we must learn to respect them as well. The animals can not say no, so we have to speak on their behalf. I strongly believe that like humans, animals are the creations of Mother Nature. She will be very happy to know we are taking care of each other. I hope to see more compassion among the human race. People must realize that we can not take other creatures for granted. Animals need our care, seek our respect, and request our love. When I arrive home everyday, I thank the heavens that I have three great pets. My cats are there for me. They do not judge me, put me down, or ask for unrealistic demands. Our furry companions are there for us in times of storm and stress. We need to start appreciating them and stop taking advantage of them for human gain.
Works Cited
Regan, Dr. Tom. The Philosophy of Animal Rights. 19 October 2007.
http://www.cultureandanimals.org/animalrights.htm
Alternatives: Testing Without Torture. 19 October 2007.
PETA Media Center Web Page. http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=87
PETA’s 10 Worst Laboratories List. 19 October 2007.
StopAnimalTests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-worstlabs
Animals Used For Education. 19 October 2007.
Stop Animal Tests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/usedforeducation.asp
Animal Experimentation: Point Counterpoint 19 October 2007.
Stop Animal Tests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-pointcounterpoint.asp
The Animal Welfare Act. 19 December 2007.
PETA Media Center Web Page.
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=80
please check out the following links for more information on animal testing:
http://www.peta.org/action/Five-Ways-to-Help-Animals-in-Labs.aspx
Think back to when you had your first pet. You came home everyday and your pal was waiting for you at the door or in the front window. You’d walk in and Mittens or Fido would be there at your feet or jump on your lap. They would bark or meow, asking to be played with or scratched behind the ears. You loved it and you could tell they enjoyed it as well. Could you even picture your furry friend being locked in a cage while a scientist or student comes over and takes it out? Would you panic at the thought of your beloved pet being part of an experiment?
"There is no fundamental difference between humans and the higher mammals in their mental faculties" ~ Charles Darwin
We all know that animal testing is a common practice. From middle school to the college level, most of us at one time or another had to dissect an animal. But did you ever wonder where that piglet or frog came from? According to PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), over five million animals are killed for the use of classroom dissections every year. They come from various sources too numerous and disturbing to list. It is true that you will learn from the hands on experience, but killing innocent and helpless victims is not necessary. Some scientists will say they don’t want to use animals, but they feel they have no other option. Very few scientists have used artificial skin, bone marrow, human tissues, and protein membranes. It’s very interesting that even human brain cells were used to create a "micro brain" model. This model is a replacement for live animal counterparts (PETA Media Center 2007). However, these humane alternatives of experimentation are of a very small percentage.
When it comes to learning, there is no discrimination against any species of animal. Medical professionals will use any animal at their disposal. Dogs, cats, monkeys and countless others are being used for testing everything from cosmetics and pet food to drug addiction and stun guns (www.stopanimaltests.com). Other unimaginable experiments include the use brains, hearts and spines of animals that are still alive! The University of California at San Francisco was fined $92,000 for 60-plus violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The Animal Welfare Act is the federal law that governs the humane care, handling, treatment, and transportation of animals used in laboratories (PETA 2007).Some of the violations involved deprivation of water and various surgeries without anesthesia. These acts cause not just physical injuries, but also psychological pain. Most mammals feel some degree of pain, whether it be bodily or emotionally.
Animals cannot speak, however the pain is obviously seen in laboratory observations. Animals cower with fear in their cages. Some will scream. Some are still with terror. Stress, depression, and even neurosis has been documented to develop in the animals. Three common procedures performed on animals were studied to prove these conditions. Routine handling, venipuncture (the puncturing of a vein for a medical purpose), and orogastric gavage (feeding tube forced down the throat) lead to heightened blood pressure, heart rate, and acute stress levels.
I am in favor of animal rights as well as human rights. That is the way of a whole human being" ~ Abraham Lincoln
Some animals have been forced to continuously breed, even as they nurse their current young. These babies are pulled from the mother whenever needed for lab studies. One experiment, which was funded by the National Institute of Deafness, involved isolation of a monkey in a room with trained raptors. Scientists wanted to study the distress calls of the primate (PETA 2007). Another study focused on the toxicity and addictive properties of cocaine and heroin. Monkeys became addicted to the drugs, displayed withdrawal symptoms, and were then injected with chemicals to reintroduce the drugs effects. This study alone cost over one-million dollars. These raptor and drug experiments were conducted at Harvard University. Institutions can use less expensive testing alternatives including stem cells, human skin left over from surgeries and cadavers. Students are even able to observe human operations, have access to patient simulators, and sophisticated computer programs. These learning alternatives will cost save tax payers millions of dollars!
"Humaneness is not a dead external precept, but a living impulse from within; not self-sacrifice, but self-fulfillment" ~ Henry Salt
Many professionals and educators in the medical field will defend the use of animals for scientific means. It is logical that they do have to observe interactions in live subjects. However using defenseless animals is not feasible. There is no doubt that cancer and disease are terrible things, but is it really beneficial to create cancer in a helpless lab animal? An artificial condition created in a formerly healthy animal is usually inconclusive and morally corrupt. Trying to translate the results to a human counterpart is unsettling and unreliable. Drugs are also tested on animals, and these too are unreliable methods. In 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that only 8 percent of drugs that were tested on animals actually reached the market. This means that 92 percent of the drugs were found unsafe or ineffective in humans.
Certain experimenters feel that it is fair to cause pain to animals because they feel animals lack reasoning and are inferior to us (The Philosophy of Animal Rights). Is it okay to experiment on a human baby or mentally retarded person? Of course it isn’t! Similarly, it is wrong to sacrifice and torture hundreds even thousands of animals and cause them mental and physical pain for the benefit of human kind. In Great Britain, it is now illegal for medical and veterinary students to practice surgery on animals. Schools in the United States are just starting to favor hands-on practice with human patients under the supervision of experienced physicians.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated" ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Animal testing not only exists in schools, laboratories and hospitals but also in the commercial industry. Companies Coca-Cola and Pepsi are guilty of these abusive crimes (PETA 2007). Coca-Cola had a senseless and extremely gruesome method of force-feeding chemicals to rats and chimps. This study, funded by a grant, supposedly was to test reception of taste. Does it confirm how tasty soda will be by cutting open a chimps face? Pepsi for some reason infected mice with a respiratory illness and made them run on treadmills for two hours at a time. After the mice died, the company could now substantiate health claims on the product labels. Does this test substantiate cardiac endurance while being ill (on the part of the mice)? What do these experiments have to do with humans enjoying carbonated beverages? This year, both Coca-Cola and Pepsi pledged to end all animal testing.
Many ancient civilizations honored their animals. In the 21st century, we must learn to respect them as well. The animals can not say no, so we have to speak on their behalf. I strongly believe that like humans, animals are the creations of Mother Nature. She will be very happy to know we are taking care of each other. I hope to see more compassion among the human race. People must realize that we can not take other creatures for granted. Animals need our care, seek our respect, and request our love. When I arrive home everyday, I thank the heavens that I have three great pets. My cats are there for me. They do not judge me, put me down, or ask for unrealistic demands. Our furry companions are there for us in times of storm and stress. We need to start appreciating them and stop taking advantage of them for human gain.
Works Cited
Regan, Dr. Tom. The Philosophy of Animal Rights. 19 October 2007.
http://www.cultureandanimals.org/animalrights.htm
Alternatives: Testing Without Torture. 19 October 2007.
PETA Media Center Web Page. http://www.peta.org/factsheet/files/FactsheetDisplay.asp?ID=87
PETA’s 10 Worst Laboratories List. 19 October 2007.
StopAnimalTests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-worstlabs
Animals Used For Education. 19 October 2007.
Stop Animal Tests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/usedforeducation.asp
Animal Experimentation: Point Counterpoint 19 October 2007.
Stop Animal Tests Web Page.
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/f-pointcounterpoint.asp
The Animal Welfare Act. 19 December 2007.
PETA Media Center Web Page.
http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display.asp?ID=80
please check out the following links for more information on animal testing:
http://www.peta.org/action/Five-Ways-to-Help-Animals-in-Labs.aspx