Animal Rights Essays (803 words) - Animal Welfare, Bioethics

Animal Rights $115 Designer Cosmetic Collection From Cosmetique -- Only $1! Animal Rights Animals have been used in medical research for centuries. In a recent count, it was determined that 8,815 animals were being used for research at MSU, 8,503 of them rodents - rats, mice, hamsters and gerbils. There were 18 dogs, three cats and a variety of goats, ferrets, pigeons and rabbits. The struggle against this tyranny is a struggle as important as any of the moral and social issues that have been fought over in recent years." Animal rights are an emotional issue-second only, perhaps, to the bitter abortion debate." For decades the value of animal research has been grossly overrated. Although researchers have depended on animal test data to achieve medical advances, there should be other means of research because testing on animals is cruel and inhumane and often unnecessary. The American Medical Association believes that research involving animals is absolutely essential to maintaining and improving the health of the American people. They point out, that virtually every advance in medical science in the 20th century, from antibiotics to organ transplants, has been achieved either directly or indirectly through the use of animals in laboratory experiments. They also emphasize that animal research holds the key for solutions to AIDS, cancer, heart disease, aging and congenital defects. Lastly they insist that, the result of these experiments has been the elimination or control of many infectious diseases. This has meant a longer, healthier , better life with much less pain and suffering. For many patients, it has meant life it self. However, there should be other means of research because the whole process of animal research remains cruel and inhumane. Animal rights activists have gathered much information that has closed down laboratories that violate anti- cruelty statutes. "This includes a 1984 videotape stolen from the University of Pennsylvania Head Injury Clinic. The research subsequently suspended, reportedly involved inadequately anesthetized baboons receiving blows to the head to break their necks and cause brain damage." Alex Pacheo gives a first-person account of the conditions he witnessed in a primate laboratory. He is horrified by the painful experiments these monkeys endure. "On May 11,1981 I began work[at the Institute for Behavioral Research] and was given a tour.... I saw filth caked on the wires of the cages, faces piled in the bottom of the cages, urine and rust encrusting every surface. There, amid this rotting stench, sat sixteen crab-eating macaques and one rhesus monkey, their liv limited to metal boxes just 17 3/4 inches wide.... [An old refrigerator] had been converted into a chamber containing a plexiglass immobilizing chair. A monkey would be placed in a chamber, and electrodes attached to his body. The monkey would be forced to try to squeeze a bottle of fluid with his surgically crippled arm in order to stop the painful electric shock that coursed through his body. The ceiling and walls of the chamber were covered with blood. I remember Dr. Taub's assistant, John Kunz, telling me that some monkeys would break their arms in desperate attempts to escape the chair and the intense electric shocks." Young chimpanzees, 3 or 4 years old, were crammed, two together, into tiny cages. They could hardly turn around. Not yet part of any experiment , they had been confined in these cages for more than three months. The chimps had each other for comfort, but they would not remain together for long. Once they are infected, probably with hepatitis, they will be s eparated and placed in another cage. And there they will remain, living in conditions of severe sensory deprivation, for the next several years. During that time, they will become insane. From the capture of primates in the wild, to the "factory-like" breeding of mice and dogs, to the confinement and isolation of cages - research is inherently cruel. History has shown that many important medical advances have been made by clinical research and close observations of human patients, not animal research, which is often unnecessary. "There are whole countries that don't use healthy animals to train veterinarians or teach surgical techniques," said Liska, who's been researching the issue since 1974. In England they use only sick or injured animals and do much work on animal cadavers. "Humans can give informed consent. Monkeys and dogs can't." Many AIDS patients have said they are willing to try out new drugs. "Instead, we use Rhesus monkeys." "I actually have hurt animals unnecessarily out of ignorance," says Dr. Sherman Bloom. "If you're preaching reverence for animal life, you're preaching reverence for life , period. And violence is the

Cannabis Hemp essays

Cannabis Hemp essays Why is it that the one plant that could save our planet from certain environmental destruction is illegal in our country? The Cannabis plant is grown legally for hemp in many countries around the world and yet the government of this country continues to view it as a dangerous plant. The prohibition of the Cannabis plant in this country is one of the greatest injustices in our history. Cannabis has been used by humans for its fibers, oils, and medical qualities for more than 10,000 years. It seems as though Cannabis was created with the basic needs of humans in mind. It can provide us with clothing, building materials, fuel, oils, food, and many other products that are currently synthetically made. Our world economy could be based on this one plant instead of harmful petroleum. Humans who are concerned about their environment should fight for the legalization of the cannabis plant. It is the only renewable resource that can meet our consumption needs for paper, food, and fiber . Not only can hemp meet our needs, it can often produce a higher quality product than what is currently produced. For thousands of years cultures across the globe have recognized and utilized the amazing qualities of the Cannabis plant. Our government refuses to recognize that hemp has beneficial uses and in doing so directly lies to its citizens. The history of humans and the use of hemp products go back as far as the last ice age. Ten thousand years ago in Turkey hemp was used widely to make ropes, cloth, and fishing nets. The ancient Chinese were also users of hemp. They made their first paper with hemp and also ropes, clothing, and medicines. References to the medicinal properties of marijuana were found in a Chinese emperor's pharmacopeia. Hemp was also the dominant fiber used in the ship building industry until the late 1800s. It was used for ropes, rigging, and sails because of its strength and durability. Our country also has ...

The use and abuse of anabolic steroids by athletes, the problem seem Research Paper

The use and abuse of anabolic steroids by athletes, the problem seem to begin as early as high school and continues later on to the professionals - Research Paper Example Testosterone is the only hormone targeting the male sexual characteristics as it stimulates the reproductive organ and development of muscle and bones. It also promotes the growth of skin and hair and influence sentiments and sex drive in males. In males, the adrenal gland as well as the testes produces testosterone; whereas in the females it is only secreted by the adrenal gland. There are over hundreds various types of anabolic steroids synthesized in order to maximize its benefits. Since 2013, not a single type of anabolic steroid has been synthesized that do not have any kind of side effect. In most of the developing countries, anabolic steroids can easily be purchased without any prescription. However the American government has tried to impose some control over the buying and selling of these drugs. The use of anabolic steroids in US without any prescription is considered illegal and may also result in one year of imprisonment or $1,000 fine. These steroids are derivatives of testosterone, a hormone found naturally in males. A healthy male produces 2 to 10 mg of testosterone. It helps in hair growth, deepening of voice, growth of reproductive system and increases the density of bones and muscles (Anabolic Steroids). Anabolic steroids were originally developed in the year 1930 for treating the cases in which the body is not able to make much testosterone for fulfilling the daily requirement. In the following years physicians tried using this drug for other purposes but did not achieve effective results. Disadvantages associated with the drug over shadow its benefits and therefore its use was restricted to medical purposes only. Anabolic steroids were used by pediatrics for stimulating the rate of growth in children whose growth rate was slow. The availability of the synthetic growth hormone has limited the use of this hormone as growth stimulator in children. It was also used in the treatment