Animal Rights

    As Doctor Zola-Morgan stated in a speech to animal right activists,
"I've seen the impact of the animal rights movement.  I believe this is an
attack on science of the worst kind.  If we allow it to prevail it will
take us back to the dark ages."  Too much of the public has come to think
of medical researchers as "tormenters rather than healers."  The good is
overlooked and the bad is exploited.  Although many people think that
animal research is morally wrong, animal research should continue because
it is critical to continued progress in human health and alternatives to
research animals are not available.

    Animal rights activists feel that animal research is immoral.  They do
not see where we as human beings see or feel that we are the dominant
species. They often assert that research with animals causes severe pain
and that many research animals are abused.  The activists do not feel the
need to put the animals through such pain.  Many of the experiments are
replicated also which causes an unneeded demand for animals to perform
experiments. Experiments which have already been proven are still being
experimented with.

    However, animal research is an integral part of today's society when
thinking of how much progress we have gained in human health with the use
of animal experimentation.  To date some forty-one Nobel prizes have been
awarded to scientists whose achievements depended on laboratory animals.
Vaccines against polio, diphtheria, mumps, measles, rubella, and smallpox
would not have been possible without such experiments.  There also would
not be such important techniques such as open heart surgery, brain surgery,
coronary bypass, microsurgery to re-attached limbs, organ transplants, and
correction of congenital heart defects.  The list goes on about the medical
advances that required animal research.  Insulin to control diabetes and
medications important in the management of asthma, epilepsy, arthritis,
ulcers, and hypertensions are a few more to add to the list.  To take
animal research away would also be to halt our society's advancement of
more procedures and more medicines to enhanc he better living of humans.

    In addition, there are no alternatives to animal experimentation that
can give the same results that it can.  In certain research investigations,
cell, tissue, organ cultures, and computer models can be used at least in
the preliminary phases of the investigation.  However, in many experimental
situations, culture techniques and computer models do not capture the
"physiological complexity" of the whole animal.  Some examples of where
animals are necessary in research include the development of a vaccine
against HIV and improvement of methods to relieve mental stress and
anxiety.  These challenges can only be addressed by research with animals.
Computer models and cultures cannot get the whole body effect of an
experiment.  Humans are the only alternatives to animals for this and when
faced with this alternative, most people prefer the use on animals as the
research model.

    Animal research is necessary to maintain our society's well being.
Many people think it is morally wrong but when the advantages are
considered with the disadvantages, the good outweighs the bad. Animal
Research is necessary to continued progress in human health.  If other
methods were available they would be given a fair chance but for now only
animal experimentation works best.  If all of the advances in human health
were taken away our society would still be in a primitive age.  Animal
research has taken us out of that age.