Research Paper
Mar.12.2011
Animal experimentation
There are nearly 80 million domestic dogs in the United States, owned by more than 45 million households. In at least half of these households, the family dog receives a Christmas present. Millions of dog owners celebrate their dog’s birthday. If a family’s dog somehow were needed to force to live a short and painful life, the family would undoubtedly feel some combination of grief and anger. What can be said about dog owners can also be said about other kinds of animals’ owners, who are more numerous still. But recently, animals have been used in medical experimentation, research and testing. The use of animals in research, testing, and education is perhaps the most controversial of all animal rights issues. After all, what will the people think when posed with the question, “Whose life is more important? A kid’s or a dog’s? The problem, of course, is with the question itself. Animal experimentation is not about choosing between humans and animals. It is a choice between humanity and inhumanity, between good science and bad science, and between health and sickness.
In my own standpoint, I would agree with abolishing the animal experiment. I own a dog over five years and he is my best friend ever. As a dog lover, I cannot really endure to see those innocent animals was be testing and suffering. It is defiantly not their fault, but why they should deserve that kind of life. Human should not just because of the benefit then sacrifice the right of animal. I am going to discuss that what is the different between merit and demerit on animal experimentation by following essay.
Animal testing is the use of non-human animals for the purpose of scientific experimentation. Base on the New York Times, around 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals, ranging from fish to primates, are used in experiments each year. The use of animals in scientific research has a surprisingly long history, dating back to the fourth century BCE. Aristotle is one of the first known to have performed experiments on living animals. (Hills 21) In the second century a Roman physician named Galen dissected goats and pigs, a practice which later earned him the title” the father of vivisection. (Yarri 3)
What is “vivisection”? The most of people would answer that vivisection meant cutting into living tissue. Nowadays, vivisection means harmful use of animals in laboratories and classrooms, whether for testing, experimentation, training, or demonstration. Every day, thousands of people are saved from painful diseases and death by powerful medical drugs and treatments. There are over 60 percent of medical drugs and treatments come from animal testing. (Dixon) Animal research includes a lot more than the search for cures to diseases, such as drug addiction studies, cosmetic and personal care product tests, and demonstrations in elementary, junior high, senior high, and college-level biology classes. Animal experimentation can bring human a lot of extra benefits such as not only discovering new medicine or treatment of illness, but also let us know more about the structure of animals’ bodies. There is no doubt that the incredible gift of medicine would not be possible without animal experimentation. Nevertheless, from another point of views, animal experimentation could also bring extremely painful and suffering to animals, which are innocent and ignorant. Some studies show that the animal experimentation is unnecessary and useless. It may lead humans to the wrong direction. However, since 1875, animal experimentation has been an on going heated debate on whether experiments on animals are ethical. (Lloyd) Therefore, there are two different side of viewpoints of animal testing which are opposition and affirmative side. Animal experimentation is a contentious issue, but it boils down to two essential questions: does it work, and is it ethical? Now, we are going to discuss why do they agree or against of