I agree that testing on animals is a way to test new cures for disease for humans, and that is more important to me. I guess what I am trying to say is that I agree with some forms of usage of animals, while not others. Animals are equal to an extent, but I am not sure where that line is drawn. Here I present reasons why I believe this claim is true. First of all, let's clarify the meaning of rights used here.
Animals have no sense of what they are doing.
First of all, because humans are indeed in a higher category than all other animals. As Steinbock mentioned in her text, it is wrong to perform acts of torture to animals, for it is merely an act of monstrosity and there is no justifiable reason for performing such a thing. However, when it comes to using animals in order to better our lives, such as the use of animals in research or as nourishment to our bodies, I believe we are not doing any wrong or cruelty. As part of the animal kingdom we are also apt to predation and competition as any other animal. The only difference here is that we acknowledge our actions while non-human animals do not.