Animal Rights

I thank Con for their arguments. I shall address Con’s arguments and defend mine simultaneously. R1) Animal Testing Con has dropped my arguments on humane treatment and alternatives to animal testing. I shall provide some alternatives to animal testing that have been proven to be effective. RIA. Synthetic Organs Con has dropped my argument on in vitro alternatives to animal testing. These in vitro methods also involve culture testing and testing on synthetic organs. Institutes and organizations such as the Wyss Institute at Harvard have now begun a form of biological engineering that allows for the manufacture of synthetic human tissue, a concept called the “organ on the chip”. “… the concept of an ‘organ on a chip’, which involves placing the human cells and fluids necessary to mimic the complexity of human physiology on a single, tiny piece of see-through, flexible silicone rubber the size of a USB stick. In a new startup, Emulate, these chips will be mass-produced for the first time. The chips have fluid flowing through them, so you can connect them to each other, creating a ‘human on a chip’ where lungs, livers, intestines, skin, kidneys and eyes can be integrated to simulate how a whole body would interact with a new drug.” [1. http://goo.gl...] This involves a process where researchers “recreate the conditions the cells find themselves in by using micro-engineering to provide them with all the cellular integration, fluids and even mechanical forces that they are used to, such as breathing in and out. We can also connect them in our human bioemulation platform to model and better understand diseases, and to study how humans respond to drugs.” Researchers have also started manufacturing miniature synthetic organs, by mimicking human tissue via. in vitro samples of cells; these are mimicked, with human enzymes, hormones, proteins and cellular structure mimicked to create faux human tissue, perfect to show reactions with drugs. RIB. Micro-dosing “In 2006, the FDA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) introduced guidelines for testing very small ‘microdoses’ of drugs in humans. These are concentrations less than a one-hundredth of the therapeutic dose. Because the concentrations are so low, the drugs can be tested in a small number of patients without the level of safety data normally required before a phase I study. These early tests, dubbed ‘phase 0’ studies, would show, for instance, how the drug is distributed and broken down in the body, and whether it hits the right molecular target.” [2. http://goo.gl...] These microdoses will provide enough data to apply while using in vitro testing, allowing for synthetic organ testing’s accuracy to be greater than that of animal testing. RIC. Humane Treatment Pro has still not responded to my contention that even when testing is required (if it is required), animals must be treated humanely, allowing for the application of a moral due to animals. Some animals will invariably die or be injured in testing, but if a right to humane treatment is recognized, it wouldn't curtail all testing, and regulation does minimize animal suffering. This strict regulation combined with more usage of the alternatives will, overall, control animal abuse and allow for recognition of moral due. RID. Life Equivalence As described in the definitions, one animal’s life [by the ideology of animal rights] equals one human’s life, i.e. an animal can be sacrificed for the lives of many humans, and vice versa. Therefore, even in grave situations where animal testing may be required (if at all required after the above methods) without application of humane treatment, then animal testing for one human life is unforgivable; it depends on the numbers. Via. this ideology, all lives are equal, and one can be sacrificed for many. R2) Vegan Diet RIIA. Vitamin B12 B12 concentration in blood cells can be increased via. fortification of B12 in artificial dairy products, breakfast cereals and nutritional yeast. The primary sources of B12 in fortified foods are the bacteria Propionibacterium shermanii and Pseudomonas denitrificans. [3. De Baets S, Vandedrinck S, Vandamme EJ. “Vitamins and Related Biofactors.” Encyclopedia of Microbiology. 2000:837-853.] The daily value for B12 is 2.4 µg for a healthy person above the age of 14. [4. http://goo.gl...] 2.4 µg can easily be achieved per day using fortified foods and supplements. [5. http://www.veganhealth.org...] RIIB. Omega-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA) is the primary form of Omega-3 PUFAs. ALA is converted into a percentage of DHA and EPA after process by the body. Certain vegan sources actually contain more ALA percentage than meat sources. Flaxseed oil contains 59% ALA [6. http://www.osel.co.nz...], and kiwifruit seed oil contains 63% ALA [7. http://www.osel.co.nz...], as opposed to most fish oils, which contain 9.2 % ALA (approximately). [8. http://en.wikipedia.org...]. Therefore, Omega-3 PUFAs can be gained via. vegan means. Therefore, a vegan diet is sufficiently nutritious for humans. R3) Morality RIIIA. Justice Justice and fairness are relative and subjective. Animals do not have the level of intellectual capability required to disobey their instinct. Animals rely on their instinct, and, therefore, cannot be considered “at fault” for actions. Morality and immorality are human concepts, and must be extended by humans only. But discriminating morality to humans as they are the creators of it combats the very concept of justice and fairness. In a fair community, all moral entitlements and dues must be recognized, else the community is regarded as morally unjust. Secondly, humans do not fulfill their responsibilities either, by killing other species. The species-limited superiority is discrimination in a dictatorial manner. The instincts obeyed by animals are necessary in ensuring an ecological balance; but with the current non-primitive society of most humans, human instincts do not allow for an ecological balance. [9. Singer, Peter (1975). Animal Liberation. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06171-130-5.] RIIIB. Responsibilities Animals do have responsibilities, and they do fulfill them. But animals do not have the same rights as humans. For example, animals’ responsibility, engineered via. instinct into their genes, is to maintain an ecological balance and to survive and ensure the survival of the species. As humans violated the very limits of the ecological balance by forming an advanced civilization (to note, by destroying ecosystems, etc.), humans have more moral responsibilities. Morality rises as the level of immorality rises. Therefore, as animals fulfill their responsibilities that are distinct from humans, they are entitled to moral rights and dues, at least in a just system. Hence, justice requires the recognition of animal rights. R4) Symbiosis v. Exploitation Killing an animal and saving many animals actually equates with the defined concept of ethics, wherein we would sacrifice one to save many. But animals receive their due only with animal testing specifically meant for animals; the symbiosis must involve giving back as much as we take. This is not accorded to animals. R5) Animals and humans have no differences (based on rights) RVA. Equal Distribution of Rights The mentally handicapped are humans by definition. If humans have rights, then the mentally handicapped have rights as they are humans. The “inherency of rights” argument is baseless merely because the mentally handicapped are humans, and have rights. Being mentally handicapped does not forfeit rights. Rationality is not the criterion for moral rights. Why are moral rights against pain and unnecessary suffering limited to those that think rationally by human definition of it? There is no ethical strength or logic to this argument, as equality is the essence of justice and fairness. Justice is to give each their due and treat without discrimination. Making those think irrationally suffer needlessly is sadistic and discriminative, and, therefore, demeaning to the very concept of justice. I would like Con to note that the resolution is “justice requires the recognition of animal rights”. Therefore, a just, fair society must recognize animal rights, else that society is unjust. I am not stating that all societies should recognize animal rights; I proclaim that if a society does not recognize animal rights, it is unfair. Justice rests on equality. RVB. Empathy When an average person looks into the face of a puppy or even a chick in pain, the person empathizes with the animal and feels its pain. The person also feels sorrow at the pain and attempts to help the animal. If empathy applies to an animal, then equal treatment also does. Empathy is an internal compulsion to act, pressing on our individual moral compasses. If we feel empathy or sympathy for animals, it seems they deserve the right to respect. The resolution is affirmed.