animal ethics. create a list and brief explanation of 5 animal rights issues

Animal Ethics

• Create a list and brief explanation of 5 animal rights issues

John, a college student, has become involved in an animal rights group on campus. He feels that animals should no longer be used for food, clothing, medical research or entertainment.

Visiting home for Thanksgiving, he refuses to eat the turkey and gets into a heated argument with his family. His father is furious, arguing that he worked for hours to cook the meal and the bird shouldn’t go to waste now. He demands that John eat some turkey, and says that actions like John’s are neither practical nor meaningful.

How do you think John should respond? Write your reply on a sheet of scrap paper.Do not put your name on it.I will collect it.

Animal Rights

Animal Exploitation Animal Liberation

Animal RightsAnimal Welfare• No lab• No farm• No entertainment• No wild (hunting)

• Humane use• Well being• No cruelty

Animal Rights

Biblical History—Old Testament• Rest on Sabbath• No boiling of kid in mother’s milk• No yoking of animals of different sizes

Animal Rights

Ancient Greece—Triptolemus• Sacrifice only fruits of the Earth• Injure not the animals

Animal Rights

India• No living things sacrificed• No slaughter

Animal Rights

Secular Laws: Ireland 1635• No working of tails• No pulling of sheep’s wool

Animal Rights

Secular Laws: Martin’s Act, 1822• Richard Martin• Proper treatment of cattle• Modern laws based on Act

Animal Rights

Carl Linneaus Taxonomy• Animals listed in relation to humans• Humans highest order

Animal Rights

Charles Darwin• Origin of the Species

Animal Rights

Before Linnaeus: Human Perspective• Unfeeling• Automatons

Animal Rights

Animal Welfare Organizations• 1824-SPCA• 1840-RSPCA• 1866-ASPCA

Animal Rights

Henry Stephens Salt• 1892-Animal Rights

Animal Rights

Humane Society• 1954

Animal Rights

Social Protest Movements’ Zeitgeist• 1960s-70s• Civil Rights• Anti-War

Animal Rights

Cleveland Amory• 1967 – Protect Wild Animal Rights

Animal Rights

Proliferation of Groups• PETA• FARM• ALF• Earthsave• Farm Sanctuary

Animal Rights

Philosophers• Descartes – 1600s, humans are superior• Animals can’t think, therefore, can’t feel• Abuses abounded

Animal Rights

Philosophers• Peter Singer – 1975• Animal Liberation published

Animal Rights

Is there a difference between Animal Rights and Animal Welfare?

Animal Rights

Animal Welfare Animal Liberation

Accept certain uses ifsuffering minimal

Larger cages

Relative

Empty cages

Absolute

Animals In Research Today

• IACUC 3Rs– Reduction– Replacement– Refinement

Animals In Research Today

• Reduction– Research uses the fewest numbers of animals

• Replacement– Research uses lower order animals whenever

possible• Refinement– Least amount of pain and suffering

Animals In Research Today

Benefits– Vaccines– New technologies– Affects of biological and nuclear warfare on

humans

The Pro-Animal Rights View

Sentient being• responsive to or conscious of sense

impressions• Perceive• Conscious

Moral Agent• Babies?• Animals?• Mentally disabled?

• Babies have rights.• Animals do not.

Speciesism

'Speciesism' is the idea that being human is a good enough reason for human animals to have greater moral rights than non-human animals.

Vivisection

• Literal cutting up or into live animals.• Experimental procedures that result in

injury/death

• Male/Female

• Male gets greater weight

• Gay/Straight

• Straight gets greater weight

Negative right• Michael Vick case• Inflicted pain/suffering/death on dogs

• How are we different than Vick?• 58 billion animals killed each year

The Opposite View

• Animals: no moral nature.• Not a Holocaust• Not murder• Hurt/killing animals, lamentable• Not slavery.• Not locking up different• Operate on instincts

Animals In Research Today

• 100 million vertebrates annually– Vertebrates have backbone– Non-vertebrates (worms, e.g.) used, too.

• Bred, wild or pounds• Most euthanized after experimentation• Mice, rats, fish, rabbits, cats, dog monkeys,

e.g.• Vast majority rats and mice.

Animals In Research Today

Animals used in…• Medical• Cosmetic• Defense• Genetic • Behavioral

Animals In Research Today

• World Health Organizations-issued principles• U.S. principles stricter– Approved by Institutional Animal Care and Use

Committee (IACUC)– IACUC comprised of veterinarians, industry

professionals

A Closer Look - Baboons

• Research causes great pain and suffering• Head trauma research at Penn– Baboons and monkeys were subjects– Same type of vertebrates as humans

• Animals subjected to whiplash– Car accidents– Sports injuries

A Closer Look - Baboons

• Animal kept alive for several weeks• Euthanized• Brain pathology

A Closer Look - Baboons

• http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3dw0u_unnecessary-fuss-partie-1_politics

What Ethical Issues Are Raised?

• Animal Rights and Moral Value– Animals have moral value, just like humans– Most animals after age 1, perceive their world– They should live without human interference

~Tom Regan in The Case for Animal Rights

What Ethical Issues Are Raised?

• Animal Rights and Moral Value– Animals can feel pain and suffer– They should be respected– Animal interests should be counted

~Peter Singer in Animal Liberation

What Ethical Issues Are Raised?

• Comparative Utility– It is better to experiment on rats and rabbits than

people.– No replacement for animal research– Experiment, save lives, as opposed not

experimenting.

What Ethical Issues Are Raised?

• Anthropocentrism– Anthropocentrism is human-centeredness. • Poll: One of the "R's" is replacement of higher-order

animals with those of lower-orders. Is this fair?

Homework

1. Define the following:1. Anthropocentrism2. Vivisection3. Speciesism.

Homework

1. Explain some of the uses of animals in current research. Include URL.

2. Define and explain the 3 R's.