Animal Rights

Animal Rights

Hello class, for this assignment I chose to talk about Animals and their rights. Animals have feelings just like us, therefore they feel just as much pain as we do if we were to be put in their shoes. U.S. law allows animals to be burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, drowned, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged. No experiment, no matter how painful or trivial, is prohibited – and pain-killers are not required.  Even when alternatives to the use of animals are available, the law does not require that they be used—and often they aren’t. This is not okay!!

Research

Peta.org states the following, “Animals are infected with diseases that they would never normally contract, tiny mice grow tumors as large as their own bodies, kittens are purposely blinded, rats are made to suffer seizures, and primates’ skulls are cut open and electrodes are implanted in them. Experimenters force-feed chemicals to animals, conduct repeated surgeries on them, implant wires in their brains, crush their spines, and much more.

After enduring these terrifying, painful procedures, animals are then usually dumped back into a cage without any painkillers. Video footage from inside laboratories shows animals who cower in fear every time someone walks by their cages. They don’t know if they will be dragged from their prison cells for an injection, blood withdrawal, a painful procedure, surgery, or death. Often they see other animals killed right in front of them.”

Over 115 million animals – mice, rats, dogs, cats, rabbits, monkeys, birds, among others – are killed in laboratory experiments worldwide for chemical, drug, food, and cosmetics testing every year.

Animals also go through a severe amount of pain even as a new-born for our entertainment, which is not okay. For example, circus elephants are chained up for most of their lives and only let our for training. Where they are punished. Bear cubs are trained at a young age to stand on two paws by being forced to stand up by chains around their neck.

Me

I chose this issue because one day I came across a video on YouTube that showed how the circus trains their animals. The video was very disturbing and made me feel guilty for attending a circus as a young boy, although at the time I had no idea how these animals were being treated, I basically paid and supported the animal cruelty. I was disgusted of myself and ever since, I no longer support companies who mistreat their animals. I have grown up with pets all my life and have experienced first-hand, how much animals are as smart as us. They show emotions just like we do; so why should their life be controlled by us? They deserve to be happy, not tortured.

Community

“I believe animals should be allowed to live freely, not be caged up forever”- Angelica Pulido

“Animals are our closest friends, for some they are their only friends. Why should they be treated so horribly?”- Allan Castillo

“Food is essential, so I’m for meat. But animals should not be experimented on and tortured.”- Jacky Aragon

Work Cited

Lin, D. (2019, May 23). What Do Activists Mean By "Animal Rights?" Retrieved July 6, 2019, from https://www.thoughtco.com/what-are-animal-rights-127600

Cruelty to Animals in Laboratories. (2017, August 08). Retrieved July 7, 2019, from https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-experimentation/animals-laboratories/

Sign the Petition. (n.d.). Retrieved July 7, 2019, from https://www.change.org/p/university-of-michigan-laboratory-animals-stop-animal-testing-now