FREE ESSAY ON ANIMAL RIGHTS VS. HUMAN RIGHTS

ANIMAL RIGHTS VS. HUMAN RIGHTS

"h Laboratory animals 
The use of laboratory animals is important to three main areas: biomedical research,
product safety testing, and education. Biomedical researchers use animals to extend their
understanding of the workings of the body and the processes of disease and health, and to
develop new vaccines and treatments for various diseases. The research these people do
isn??t only for human benefit; it is also helping to develop veterinary techniques. 
The industry uses animals to test the effectiveness and safety of many consumer products,
such as cosmetics, household cleaning products, pesticides, chemicals, and drugs.
Educators, from elementary school all the way up to college, use animals as parts of the
teaching process, including dissecting worms, and frogs in science classes to medical
students using animals to learn surgical techniques. 
Scientists study animals to learn more about certain species: its history, its
psychological and social behaviors, and its skills. If the animals are kept in captivity,
they can be caused pain that isn??t natural part of its environment. A number of
organizations wish to replace and reduce the number of animals being used or, at the very
least, lessen the pain. 
Rats and mice make up 85-90% of animals used in research, education, and testing.
Rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, dogs, cats, and non-human primates are studied as well.
Dogs and Cats make up about 1% of research animals. The certain animal depends on what is
being studied. The majority of rats and mice are bred specifically for research. Half of
the dogs and cats that are used are bred for that purpose too. Animal dealers are the
primary source for the rest. Animal dealers must be licensed by the USDA, or the United
States Department of Agriculture and have to obey the standards of care set up by the
Animal Welfare Act.
"h Alternatives to Animal Testing
Alternative methods fall into three main categories, also known as the three R??s:
Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. Replacement is when animals are replaced, either
by absolute replacement, which is when an animal is completely replaced, or by relative
replacement, just cells and tissues are used, instead of the whole animal. 
Replacement isn??t always an option although, for those animals that do undergo testing,
scientists try to lessen the pain and make the animals more comfortable. Replacement
isn??t considered an option anymore-it has become daily. A few years ago, when a woman
wanted to find out whether or not she was pregnant, she had to stop at a laboratory and
get a test that involved killing a rabbit. Nowadays, she can buy and over-the-counter kit
that tests her for certain chemicals. Computers are a new high-tech method of
replacement. For example, dissection on a computer model instead of real, live frogs,
which I would prefer! People are becoming increasingly popular when it comes time for the
needs for volunteers for new facial and skin products.
Reduction is the second method involves ??sharing?? research animals. For one example, if
one scientist doing a study on the lungs of a sheep, when it comes time to kill the sheep
he will allow the others to use his kidneys, liver or heart.
Refinement being the third choice means to reduce any pain and suffering that the animal
is going through. Techniques that are less hostile to the animal can also be considered
refinement. Researchers can use ultrasound or an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) to see
what is going on inside the animal instead of cutting into it. 
The cosmetics industry, which 20 years ago tested all its products on animals has come so
close to stopping using animals. Many companies have reduced the use of whole-animal
testing by 80 ?V 90%. Some have eliminated it completely. Since the 80??s many companies
have put serious amounts of money and effort into a search for alternatives for animal
testing. Plus, most ingredients that are being used today have already been tested on an
animal and have shown to be safe. 
"h What kinds of tests are being done?
The chronic-toxicity tests assess the effects of long-term exposure, often at low levels,
to certain subjects. Acute-toxicity tests evaluate the risk of short-term exposure,
accidental contact with eyes, skin and indigestion. There have two different outcries of
this test. The most public outcry of this test happened in the 1980??s. One of them, the
Draize eye test was one that used rabbits to estimate the ability of a test substance to
irritate or damage the eye. This involves putting the solution into one of the rabbit??s
eyes. Then recording the changes in many different parts of the eye, as compared to the
untreated eye over a week. Since then eye irritation tests have stopped by 87%.
The protest in 1980 led to great changes in the cosmetics industry and caused many
increased efforts toward the development of non-animal alternatives. Many companies no
longer use the Draize test at all. The other test acute-toxicity test is called the LD50
test. LD50 means ??lethal dose 50 percent.?? This test estimates the amount of the
substance is needed to kill 50% of a group of rats or other test animals. The LD50 test
has been banned in parts of Europe and the EPA no longer supports it. 
"h Arguments Against Testing on Animals
Arguments against testing on animals question the morality, the necessity, or the
validity of the studies. A couple of major questions could be: Do we have a right and a
need for the tests? Do these tests actually tell us something useful? 
Animal Rights Advocates say animals have a right to their own life just as we do; that
they are not ours to mess around with. When you think about this argument long enough,
this argument also means we must maintain a vegetarian diet, not wearing leather or fur,
and, at its most extremity, not keeping animals as pets. A moderate animal protection
says that our responsibility toward animals is that we have a moral obligation not to
cause then unnecessary pain. That argument isn??t against all animal testing. 
Arguments against animal testing take many forms. One of them could be we can??t rely on
animal results anyway. Humans are completely different: physically and mentally. Just
because one species reacts to a certain chemical in a certain way, doesn??t mean another
will act the same way. Furthermore, animals kept in unnatural conditions aren??t going to
give accurate results anyway.
"h Arguments In Favor of Animal Testing
Now again, you can argue in terms of morality, necessity, and validity. The concerns on
this side of the argument are the needs to protect and to improve the quality of life.
The gains and benefits for humans outweigh the cost of animal suffering. Someone who
supports animal testing may care for animals but don??t place them on an equal scale as
humans. Research on animals may be necessary for more than a few reasons: to develop
vaccines, treatments, cures for diseases; and to ensure new products ?V that they won??t
blind, burn, or even kill us (which has happened many times, before safety testing was
required by law). 
Animals make good research subjects, they are biologically similar to humans, and are
susceptible to many of the same health problems. Some species make good models for human
health or physiology. Most of what we know about the immune system comes from our study
of mice, whereas what we know about the cardiovascular system has come from dogs! Many
heart surgery techniques are learned from dogs too. 
Animals make better subjects than humans for another reason. Many species have relatively
short life cycles, so they can be studied throughout their entire life. Scientists can
control certain aspects of the environment: its diet, temperature, and lighting.
??Animals cannot be completely replaced just yet?? Say many supporters of animal
testing.
"h Are there any benefits-- To Animals? To Humans?
Many, many cures, treatments, techniques, and medicines have come to us because of animal
experimentation. Immunizations against polio, mumps, measles, rubella, hepatitis, and so
on have been made through animal research. Efforts to understand AIDS and Alzheimer??s
disease are ongoing. Animal research has played a big role in advances in veterinary
medicine, including development of treatments for rabies and distemper. 
Pet owners now look for treatment for their sick dog or for a breath mint for their cat.
Many people don??t mind allowing their animal take part in tests and experiments.
Research on things such as nutrition, housing requirements, or social behavior can help
improve conditions for care for captive and domestic animals. Some research can
contribute to habitat restoration and conversation efforts for many animals. 
"h ??Cruelty-free?? & ??Not Tested on Animals?? mean what?
These two phrases can mean different things to many companies. The labels don??t always
mean the same thing because the government doesn??t regulate the terms. ??Not tested on
Animals?? could mean that the product as a whole wasn??t tested on animals, but its
ingredients were. For example, they didn??t put red lipstick on a dog, but they had tried
colorless lipstick on the dog. Or it could mean that the company doesn??t test on animals
but buys its ingredients from other companies that test on animals.
The FDA requires animal testing for pharmaceuticals and other products. This isn??t a
must for cosmetics and toiletries. These do have to be tested for customer safety, but
not necessarily on animals. This is where you might see cruelty-free & not tested on
animals. They must test on products manufactured for human use before it is sold to the
public. This includes drugs and vaccines ?V for people and animals ?V cosmetics, shampoo,
and other personal care products, food packaging, household cleaners, pesticides,
chemicals, fabric treatments, and more. 
"h What can I do to help?
One of the most important ways you can help is to find out and learn as much as you can
about animal experimentation and tell someone about it. Make sure you inform them of the
three R??s: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement. You could tell your friends, your
parents, someone in charge. Or, hey, why not write letters to Congress asking them to
enforce and support the ICCVAM Authorization Act. ICCVAM stands for the Interagency
Coordinating Committee on the Validation of Alternative Methods. They are responsible for
getting newly developed alternatives validated by the government. You can find out more
about this at the John Hopkins Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing (CAAT) web site
at
http://caat.jhsph.edu/issues/iccvam.htm.
Even if you aren`t voting age, your voice can make a difference. It isn`t enough just to
protest against animal abuse. We also need to raise a new generation of scientists who
deeply care and understand these situations, and who will work to develop and use
alternatives to animal testing. You can make that happen.
Bibliography
*Altweb: Alternatives To Animal Testing On The Web 
*The Center for Alternatives to Animal Testing 
*HSUS - Programs - Animal Research Issues-The HSUS Policy Statement: Pound Seizure 
*Government Guide: http://www.fda.gov 
* Animal Rights - Myths, Lies, Terrorism, Anti-Humanity, the Real Agenda-Animal rights
activists-animal testing cruelty-animal 
* APA search for Rat 
* Welcome to KAT's Purrfect Page!