Animals have been an integral part of human
history. From common house pets to
livestock on farms to animals used in war, animals have seemingly always found
a way into human society. However, this
wonderful asset to mankind hasn’t always been used in the best manner. Because animals have been deemed less than
humans, scientists used to use them commonly to try out new drugs for
humans. These professionals would
conduct questionable tests on animals such as rats, monkeys, frogs, cats, and
dogs in order to find medical solutions for humans. Some of these advancements were extremely
beneficial to humans, like aspirin.
However, some reasons for testing on animals, like reaction to makeup, doesn’t
quite hold the same importance. Amidst
the civil rights protests of the 20th century, there was a group of
people that took great offense to using animals for medical or scientific
research and decided that they must band together in order to protect the lives
and bioethics of animals. This group
called themselves People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or more commonly
referred to as PETA.
Many
people think of PETA as a recent organization that often demonstrates in
radical ways to challenge the minds of the public about how animals are
treated. However, this group actually
formed decades ago in the year 1980.
Shortly after its creation, the group organized the first World Day for
Laboratory Animals in the United States.
This sparked a series of events and demonstrations that have spanned
nearly four decades worldwide. The first
demonstration of the organization was to close down a slaughterhouse for
chickens in the year 1980. The
demonstration was successful, and the slaughterhouse quickly went out of
business. While slaughterhouses, big
company farms, and breeding centers remain a target of PETA propaganda, the
World Day for Laboratory Animals is arguably the most widespread and successful
event PETA supports. This takes place
worldwide on April 24th.
The
arguments against this practice of testing new products on animals is
remarkably convincing. The organization
states that while diseases can have similarities in humans and animals such as
primates, the disease doesn’t always show the same symptoms in animals. Biologically, animals have extreme
differences in how their bodies work. For example, the human body has a much slower
metabolism than primates. This means, in
a nonscientific way of explaining, that medicine is processed differently by
animals than in humans. Thus, the
conclusion is that the studies conducted on animals actually offers very little
substantial evidence as to how safe and effective a product would be for human
consumption. PETA’s argument is then why
are animals continued to be used in research, despite more known advanced study
methods in the field, when the results are almost inconclusive and useless?
 |
Enos the space chimp before insertion into the Mercury-Atlas 5 capsule in 1961. Circa 1961. Image
courtesy of SpaceFlight.NASA.gov.
|
This topic can be viewed by looking through the
Catholic lens as well as a simple humanity lens. In the Bible, it is said that God gives the
Earth and all its fruits and animals to Adam.
He is given the task to care for them and allow all to prosper. It is intended that we live in harmony with
all the living creatures of the Earth.
From Gaudium, we hear a resounding message from the leaders of the
Church. A direct quote from the piece
reads, “If the political community is not to be torn apart while everyone
follows his own opinion, there must be an authority to direct the energies of
all citizens toward the common good, not in a mechanical or despotic fashion, but
by acting above all as a moral force which appeals to each one’s freedom and
sense of responsibility.” This passage
tells us that the governing body, if doing so effectively, has to have a
respect of responsibility toward the common good. This responsibility, I will argue, extends
not only to protect humans but also to help all species of the Earth
thrive.
 |
While millions of people are working effortlessly towards protecting the rights and lives of all animals and species in this world, there are still millions of animals used still to this day in laboratories across the globe. Many animals living in poor conditions, over or underfed, and probed and tested on for human benefit die every year a senseless death. However, there is hope. With every new generation comes new minds and drives to change the world. Perhaps someday this issue will be resolved and all species, human, animal, and plant will live in harmony once again.
I found it very interesting to learn that the roots of PETA trace back to the 1980s. However, while there are some blatantly torturous treatments of animals, I find it difficult to claim that all animal testing is immoral. Humans have learned so much from testing new medications on animals, particularly dosage amounts, potential reactions to the body, and various side effects. Many animals, like the chimpanzee or other primates, have very similar biological systems to humans. Without this testing, new medicines and cosmetics would have to be testing on humans. This would cause many casualties and potentially the loss of human life. Of course, PETA and I disagree on the fundamental premise of the relationship between humans and animals. I would argue that humans are fundamentally different than animals spiritually and are not equal to each other.
ReplyDeleteThe protests that PETA is involved in seem to be very demonstrative and play on the emotions of people. The Anti-Prohibition protests led by the Women’s Organization for National Prohibition Reform (WONPR) focused more on a grassroots campaign and multiple conventions that were all meant to convince lawmakers. WONPR seemed to focus on governmental change and PETA seems to focus on chnages within business.