Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Brief for Animal Rights

Thesis: Animal Rights are an important part of this society because animals should not suffer and should be given the same right to live as humans, which includes the prevention of animal testing, commercial hunting, and the breeding of animals for food.

-Due to the fact that animals possess the same cognitive abilities as humans, animals deserve the same moral rights as humans.

Reasons:

1. Stop the breeding of animals for food

2. Prevention of animal testing

3. Prevent Commercial Hunting

Reason 1: Animals should not be bred for food because they are entitled to life just as any human being. It is unethical to breed any animal and then kill it for the sole purpose of food.

Evidence: Farm animals are the most abused animals in the United States, which is not known by most people. Most farm animals are raised in cages or crates that forbid them to move. ("All Creatures Great and Small")

Reason 2: Animal Testing is inhumane and should not be implemented because it harms animals for the mere sake of testing cosmetics or household items.

Evidence: There are alternatives to animal testing so what is the point of harming animals when there are other options.

Evidence: Animal testing kills millions of animals each year. ("Animal Testing")

Reason 3: The hunting of animals is linked to pain and death, including families or pacts being destroyed; therefore, should not be tolerated.

Evidence: Every year hunting accounts for hundreds of millions of casualties world-wide. They die a painful death for the meer fact that they are pests, have beautiful fur or for the "recreational value." The fact that there are annual trophy books increase the hunters desire to kill more and larger innocent animals for pure recreational value, which is unethical. ("Furries against Hunting")

3 comments:

MR. MILLION said...

Sounds good. Just make sure your sources are reliable. This will be an interesting mediation.

Nathan said...

Although most scientists would agree that animal testing is an unfavorable method, they continue to support the practice because it is the most efficient test currently available. Without animal testing, researchers and scientists would be unable to determine the safety of drugs and medical procedures for humans. Alternatives such as cell cultures, tissue samples, and computer models do exist, but none of them compare to the effectiveness of using live animals which exhibit human-like responses. While animal rights activists proclaim that animal testing is unethical, issuing drugs that have not been tested would be much more unethical.
In addition to animal testing, factory farming is another necessary practice needed in order to meet the demands of our nation. People in America love to eat. It is the most obese nation in the world, and until the demand for meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products decreases, the necessity of factory farming will remain. “The main reason why the techniques used in raising farm animals have changed, observers say, is simple: Economic pressures have forced companies to lower the cost of raising each animal (Factory Farms).” Companies can either do this by giving animals growth hormones or by increasing the number of animals raised in the same amount of space. Factory farming obviously favors profits and efficiency over the welfare of their livestock. With today’s economic conditions, this fact must be true, because American consumers would not want the prices of meat to skyrocket.

“Animal Testing.” FACTS.com 17 November 2007

“Factory Farms.” FACTS.com. 17 November 2007

MR. MILLION said...

You two definitely have an interesting back and forth dialogue working here. Nathan, you not only address the fact you disagree with but explain why. Very well done.