The Pain of Animals
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For centuries, scientists have used animals to test vaccines effectiveness against diseases such as SARS (AP, 2003). Scientists also used animals to evaluate the safety of chemicals used in products such as pesticides and cosmetic. Notwithstanding, many scientists forbid the use of animals for scientific research purposes regardless the amount of illnesses are eliminated by animal experimentations. Animal-right activist David Suzuki argued in his work The Pain of Animals that human have absolutely no right to exploit animals because animals experience pain, like human (Suzuki, 2010). In contrast to Suzukis The Pain of Animals, Haldanes Some Enemies of Science argued that animal experimentations should be allowed because animals are very similar to humans and scientists have no choice other than using animals in scientific experiments. Both authors had greatly contrasted their opinions towards the use of animal testing. However, Haldane had a more explanatory and reasonable approach towards the topic. He argued that animal experimentation should be allowed because other forms of animal exploitations are acceptable in society anyway. Secondly, unlike other forms of exploitations in the society which seek pleasure in killing animals such as leisure sport, conducting animal experimentations, would most likely not to cause harm to the animals. Thirdly, although the conducting of animal experimentations might have caused the extinctions of some endangered species, it is only one of the many causes led to their extinctions (Causes of Endangerment)–if those other courses are not to be condemned, neither should animal testing. Most of all, those who believed that animal experimentations are wrong have the opinion to choose not to purchase products that have been tested on animals. Animal experimentations should be allowed because its beneficial.
First, do animals experience pain? This has been a question for both the scientists and the animal-right activist for years. Both Suzuki and Haldane agreed, that if animals can be used as models because their nervous systems resembles to those of humans–then, animals must also be similar to humans in other aspects; they must also experience pain. Suzuki, however, argued that scientists imply great amount of pain to animals in their scientific experiments. He argued that even when scientists mimic laboratories to animals natural habitat, they are causing pain to the animal simply because the animal is captivated. In contrast to Suzuki, Haldane argued that pain and suffering are part of all living things. If animals are not used in scientific experiments they are still bound to suffer in life by other means such as entertainments, sports, agriculture, fashionable wear, or consumption. Haldane argued that if such forms of exploitation are acceptable, then animal experimentation should not be condemned. Haldane further argued that unlike other forms of exploitation,